Luthor's New World Order
by FanfictionReader2015AD
Summary: AU where Lex finshed his Republican Primary Candidate then becomes president months after Kara arrives on Earth. What happens when he starts enacting anti-alien laws while she's still only in Middle School?"
1. Characters, Other Info

Luthor's New World Order

Fandom: SuperGirl TVShow

Co-written with lrhaboggle, Josie Marchi and Marchi Family's Backstory was written by imogenpensmith

u/6270962/lrhaboggle

Genre: Horror

Rated: M (Waring: Underage Characters are Victims and Dissection of Aliens are Underage)

TV Show Timeline: June 2004-December 2005 (Alternate Universe of TVShow by CW)

Chapters: 14, 4 Endings

Endings: 4

Cast

Kara Zor El aka Kara Danvers (Age: 13-Year-Old)

Lena Luthor (Age: 13-Year-Old)

Jamie Sullivan (Age: 13-Year-Old) / Original Character is Friend with Lena

Josie Marchi (Age: 13-Year-Old) / Original Character is Friend with Lena

Daisy Wong (Age: 13-Year-Old) / Original Character is Friend with Lena

Alex Danvers (Age: 14-Year-Old)

Kenny Li (Age: 15-Year-Old)

Rick Malverne (Age: 16-Year-Old)

Vicki Donahue (Age: 16-Year-Old)

Josie (Age: 14-Year-Old)

Barry Allen (Age: 16-Year-Old)

Caitlin Snow (Age: 16-Year-Old)

Ralph Dibny (Age: 16-Year-Old)

Cecille Horton (Age: 17-Year-Old)

Oliver Queen (Age: 16-Year-Old)

Felicity Smoak (Age: 16-Year-Old)

Roy Harper (Age: 16-Year-Old)

Alena Whitlock (Age: 17-Year-Old)

Sara Lance (Age: 16-Year-Old)

Ray Palmer (Age: 16-Year-Old)

Thea Queen (Age: 13-Year-Old)

Lex Luthor (Age: 30-Year-Old) Youngest US President

Eliza Danvers (Age: 40 Year Old)

Jeremiah Danvers (Age: 40 Year Old)

Lionel Luthor (Age: 55-Year-Old)

Lillian Luthor (Age: 55-Year-Old)

Otis Graves (Age: 40-Year-Old)

Eve Teschmacher (Age: 40-Year-Old)


	2. Chapter 1: A Star Is Born

Chapter 1: A Star Is Born

"It really is beautiful, isn't it?" Jeremiah Danvers asked dreamily as he, his wife, and his young daughter all gazed up into the starry night sky in the little town of Midvale on that warm night of July 15, 2004. Their daughter, Alex, seemed to be the most excited out of the trio.

"I hope I see a shooting star!" she murmured eagerly, narrowing her eyes as she peered up into the heavens.

"I don't know about that, darling," her mother replied with a tender laugh.

"Oh, Eliza, don't crush the poor girl's hopes and dreams," Jeremiah elbowed her playfully and she rolled her eyes right back at him. Alex, meanwhile, pretended to side with her father.

"Yeah, Mom!" she joked. "Let me have a little fun!" then, with the little telescope that Jeremiah had given her for her previous birthday, she continued to look upward, into the vast and glorious reaches of space…

"Holy cow!" Alex dropped her telescope in surprise, startling both of her parents out of their reverie.

"What! What is it? What's wrong?" they asked, suddenly brought to the alert by Alex's cry of shock, but Alex found herself mute, able only to point upward. Eliza and Jeremiah looked up then, narrowing their eyes. For a moment, they could see nothing. But then…

"Wait! Is that a-?" Jeremiah began, standing on tiptoe to try and get a better look. Eliza wordlessly handed him the telescope Alex had dropped. It was a crummy little thing, functional but not very good or high tech, but Jeremiah didn't care. He took it gratefully from his wife before continuing to squint upward.

"It is! A shooting star!" Alex gasped as the star got steadily larger, coming into view.

"That's no shooting star!" Jeremiah replied with a gasp of his own. "Shooting stars aren't that big, or that perfectly oval and smooth!" He was dimly aware of Eliza clutching his arm worriedly. Since she could not see as well as her other two family members, she had no idea what they were looking at.

"Should we go inside, honey?" she asked fretfully, one hand clinging to his arm while the other wrapped protectively around her daughter. But for a moment, Jeremiah ignored her, far too entranced with the unidentified flying object to be aware of anything other than it.

"Honey?" Eliza repeated a few seconds later when Jeremiah made no move to answer her.

"No, no, wait a minute," he muttered.

"Here! Let me see it again!" Alex pleaded, tugging on his shirt and trying to get the telescope back from him, but once again, he seemed to have gone selectively deaf, ignoring her and Eliza to continue staring at the shining orb shooting down to them from the sky.

"There it goes!" he gasped at last, then without another word, he took off running.

"Jeremiah!" Eliza shrieked, both annoyed and concerned by her husband's sudden fascination with this new and mysterious star. Then she went running after him.

"Dad!" Alex echoed her mother, excited and scared as she took off running after both of her parents. Tonight's little family bonding time via stargazing had suddenly become a lot more interesting…

For the next few minutes, the trio continued to sprint after Jeremiah. He, meanwhile, kept his eyes upward. The star was getting ever bigger and ever brighter.

"You aren't worried about that thing causing a minor explosion when it lands?!" Eliza shouted as she ran after her husband, Alex only a few paces behind.

"We need to see what it is!" Jeremiah replied urgently, but when both Eliza and Alex tried to ask him why he cared so much about this little star, he refused to answer. Instead, he only kept on running.

In the end, Eliza proved correct. There was finally a loud crash as the meteor made impact with the Earth, but from the sound of the collision, the rock had struck water instead of earth. That was a small comfort to Eliza, since she knew that the water would've buffered some of the blow and taken some of the energy from the collision. It would still, no doubt, have totally leveled the surrounding area, but the release of energy wouldn't have been quite as terrible since the meteor had struck water instead of land.

"Hey! Wait a minute! That's no star or meteor!" even though Alex had been last in line in the little Danvers family midnight marathon, she was the first to realize that the meteor was not exactly a meteor. She proved correct when, just a few seconds later, the trio finally reached the site of the crash. Sure enough, what lay on the edge of the lake, looked like a tiny spaceship, a pod.

"Oh my god!" Eliza breathed, stopping mid-stride to stare in awe and fear at the little metal vehicle. Jeremiah, meanwhile, did not stop running until he was knee-deep in water, close enough to touch the pod. Alex followed in after him. Eliza reached out to try and stop Alex, but Alex easily sidestepped her hand and kept on running after her father until she too was submerged in the lake.

A few seconds later, after Jeremiah first touched the pod, the large window on its front began to open.

"Get back!" he muttered quickly, shoving Alex behind him. They all waited and watched anxiously at the pod window continued to open slowly, like a door. What was inside? A bomb? A weapon? Treasure? Information? No! It was… a girl! A child! One frightened look from her and one stunned look from the Danvers was all it took before all four of them knew that none of their lives would ever be the same again.

In that one simple moment, the entire universe had changed forever. In that one quiet, peaceful, normal summer night, quite literally, a star was born, and now, she had found her place, her foundation, her home, her upbringing, her future, her life with the Danvers family.


	3. Chapter 2: First Contact

Chapter 2: First Contact

Eliza, Jeremiah and Alex were all shocked to see what look like a human in a tiny spaceship, but all three of them knew instantly that this child, this girl, was not a human at all. Maybe they didn't know exactly what she was, but they did know that she was most definitely an alien and that was cause for great concern for the three Danvers. They feared that the alien would be dangerous or aggressive, just like how they were depicted in shows, movies and novels. Because of that, Jeremiah took the lead in starting a first contact with the little alien child while his family stayed safely back.

The alien, meanwhile, watched him approach with wary but curious eyes. She had been the one to cause the pod window to click open and she watched in amusement and hurt as that one little movement sent the Earthlings scrambling backward in fear. She wasn't going to hurt them! Couldn't they tell by the way she looked that she meant no harm (and could likely do no harm)? She was only a young girl! Not a monster! And she looked so much like them! But she understood that her arrival onto the scene had been a bit… dramatic, so she could understand why they might've been a little scared of her. She hoped that such fear would not last because it made her feel bad and she really did need an Earthling to talk to and help her get everything sorted out. That couldn't happen if every Earthling she met kept fleeing from her in fear.

But while the alien watched them with sharp and curious eyes, busily thinking up a way to try and initiate this first contact with them and show that she meant no harm, Eliza was already one step ahead.

"We have to get her inside quickly," she muttered to her husband. "Before that shady US Government Organization, Cadmus, comes for her!" Jeremiah made no visible reaction to his wife's words, but it was apparent that he agreed. Alex, meanwhile, continued to stare at the alien girl in awe and wonder. She was starting to step out of her pod! The first contact was about to begin!

The sound of the girl leaving her pod returned the Danvers' attention to her.

"Are you really from another planet?" Jeremiah asked at once.

"Yes," the alien replied shyly, nervously. "My name is Kara Zor-El and I am from Planet Krypton. This means that I am a Kryptonian."

"I am from Planet Earth," Jeremiah replied as he took a cautious step forward, trying to prove to the little alien girl, Kara Zor-El, that he was friendly. "This is where you are now, and we are called Humans," he continued and Kara nodded to herself and to him. She allowed him to step closer and closer.

"Why did you leave your home planet to come to this one?" Jeremiah asked next. Kara's face fell, but she answered nonetheless.

"My planet was destroyed," she admitted painfully. "Our star exploded and burned it into oblivion. My parents forced me to leave the planet while I still had the chance. I watched it, and them, die as I was sent away…" she trailed off with a haunted and wounded expression, tears in her eyes. "It's totally gone. Erased from the stars…"

"Well, you're safe here with us now," Jeremiah soothed gently, finally reaching out to touch Kara. She recoiled at first, but when she felt nothing but kindness and concern in his touch, she leaned back into it.

"Thank you," she whispered, then she took him into a hug and the Danvers family welcomed its fourth member.

Meanwhile, NASA received the alert about a UFO crashing down in a city called Midvale. The president was swiftly alerted and when he caught wind of the news, he commanded NASA to keep him updated.

"Go and see what you find!" he commanded. "And tell me everything!"

"Yes, Mr. President!" the NASA worker on the other line said. Then the president hung up.

As soon as that call ended, however, he swiftly began another one. This time, it was to Cadmus.

"Go with them," he commanded. "Follow the NASA workers to the site of the crash and see what you can find! Bring me back any alien you can, or any alien weakness. We need to make sure there are no invaders upon our soil. And try to keep the press out of this. We need to protect our planet, not create a sensation piece!"

"Yes, Mr. President!" the Cadmus worker replied with the same obedience the NASA worker had.

"Good," the president hung up the phone a second time then, eyes and voice cold and determined. Then he made one last call, this time to the Pentagon, demanding that they start blocking off all the roads in Midvale just so that he and his men would have time to explore and keep this story covered up.

Back in Midvale, the Danvers family was still shocked, genuinely amazed to meet someone from a different planet up close and personal. It was one thing to know about aliens, but it was another thing entirely to meet one in real life, and especially in such a dramatic fashion!

While Jeremiah and Eliza discussed what to do about it, Alex finally slipped out of her mother's grasp and ran over to the alien girl, face still full of awe and curiosity.

"Do you wanna come inside with us before any Feds come looking for aliens to dissect?" she asked. Maybe Alex should've worded her question a bit better because it visibly started Kara Zor-El. Jeremiah noticed and quickly tried to calm things down before anything got out of hand. Secrecy was of the utmost importance now. Kara couldn't afford to freak out just yet.

"My name is Jeremiah Danvers," he said quickly, distracting Kara from Alex's well-meant but rather disturbing question. "And the woman behind me is my wife, Eliza, and this is my daughter, Alex," he said, gesturing first behind him and then beside him. This intro seemed to work in distracting Kara from the danger she was in and she gave a reserved but polite smile to each of them in turn. It seemed that fate, for once, had decided to be kind to her. It seemed that this family consisted of good, kind humans, and that fact relieved Kara Zor-El greatly. She would find a home with these people, she was sure of it! And for that, she was relieved.

"Come on," Jeremiah said next. "Let's go home," then he turned around back towards Eliza and gestured for the two teenage girls to follow after. Once again, swiftly and silently, the small group ran through the darkness until they reached the safety and peace of the Danvers house once more.

"There it is!" Alex pointed to the lights shining in the distance.

"Oh!" Kara made a noise of delight as she picked up her speed, suddenly vanishing from view.

"Woah!" Alex, Jeremiah and Eliza all cried out in shock as Kara went sprinting by, almost too fast for them to even see. She reached the front door in five seconds while they still needed to run another five minutes.

"OMG!" Alex panted once she and her parents finally reached Kara's side again, all three of them were wide-eyed and wide-mouthed in shock at what the little Kryptonian could do.

"Do have any other powers aside from Super Speed?" once again, Alex's question was well-meant, but it set off an alarm in Kara's mind at once. So, apparently humans could NOT run as fast as Kryptonians. That was good to know. She looked at her feet nervously, clearly embarrassed and scared at having accidently revealed what she was capable of to the humans.

"Does the Human Race have any abilities like my own?" Kara instead replied, answering a question with a question. She was nervous and wanted to know what humans were or weren't capable of so that she could better blend in with them.

"No, sadly," Alex sighed, sounding jealous at how swiftly and easily Kara could run.

"We'll explain it to you tomorrow morning," Jeremiah soothed both of the girls. "But for now, let's just get you set up and tucked in for the night," then he opened the door to the house.

10 minutes later, everyone was safely inside, Alex having given Kara a quick lecture on what humans could and couldn't do. Kara seemed surprised, and almost miffed and disdainful, of how weak humans were.

"You can't do much of anything, can you?" she asked, not trying to be rude. Alex, however, looked offended, but Eliza spoke up before she could lash out.

"Unfortunately not," she said kindly to Kara, resting a warning hand on Alex's shoulder. "Humans are a rather weak species by comparison. If any other skills or powers manifest in you, you won't be able to use them safely, I'm afraid." Kara looked deeply disappointed by this.

"Then what do humans do for fun?" she asked. Alex quickly took over the conversation again, her previous hurt at Kara's innocently insensitive remark fading back into excitement.

"Board games, video games, comics, novels, books, movies, TV," Alex rattled off. "What did Kryptonians do?"

"Traveled to other planets and played sports, both at home and abroad," Kara replied, looking pained again at the mention of her home planet. Eliza, once again, expertly intervened.

"Are you hungry, Kara?" she asked.

"Yes, please!" Kara replied, attention again distracted by a new topic. "I haven't eaten anything since I was forced to leave my home planet, and that was about a month ago! That pod wasn't able to hold that much food."

"I will warm up some leftovers for you then," Eliza promised and Kara nodded her thanks to the family. But then concern flickered across her face again.

"What about my pod?" she asked. "What'll happen to it? Where will we put it? Can we go get it back?"

"Tomorrow," Jeremiah replied gently. "I promise that we can all go out and look for it to make sure no one took it. Not tonight, though, it's too dark."

"Ok," Kara sighed, sounding disappointed but resigned.

"Good girl," Jeremiah gave her a sad and sympathetic smile. His heart went out to her, but he really did not wish to risk another midnight marathon to find Kara's pod. It would be too difficult to bring home. Tomorrow, though, they would be able to drive out to the lake in a truck and collect the pod that way. It would be much easier than trying to find it tonight.

Just then, the leftovers finished warming up. Kara devoured the meal in under a minute and still came out hungry for more once she was done.

"Wow you eat a lot!" Alex observed as Kara cleaned the plate until there wasn't a single crumb left on it.

"Alex!" Eliza chided, but Kara was unbothered by the remark, because she didn't see it as an insult. Instead, she only agreed and smiled gratefully up at Jeremiah as her brought her yet another plate.

Five full plates later, Kara was finally done.

"Sheesh!" Alex muttered at the large stack of dishes Kara left in her wake. They were all spotless. She'd eaten every last little bite.

"Alright you two, bedtime," Eliza instructed while Jeremiah set about to do the dishes. "Kara, I'll have an inflatable mattress for you to sleep on in just a moment."

"Oooh! Can she sleep with me?" Alex asked hopefully. Kara looked quite pleased by that idea, happy to think how quickly she was being welcomed into this family.

"Sure," Eliza replied, then she headed upstairs with the other two girls in tow, Jeremiah shouting a goodnight as he remained in the kitchen to clean.

"There you go!" Eliza smiled a few minutes later as both of her daughters climbed into their new beds.

"Thank you," Kara whispered passionately, grateful tears in her eyes as she curled up under her blanket.

"You're very welcome my dear," Eliza whispered back before gently touching Kara's cheek. Then she bade goodnight to Alex before exiting the room and flicking off the light as she left. First contact had gone very well for all parties involved and every single person in the Danvers house was satisfied.

A few weeks later, the Danvers family found an Alien Adoption Agency. That Adoption Agency allowed people to legally adopt aliens by giving them forged papers and birth certificates, if the adopters and adoptees so chose it. Once the Danvers found this Agency, they asked if it was willing to do papers for the Danvers Family to adopt their new little alien: Kara Zor-El. The company agreed and signed the papers. From that day on, Kara Zor-El was Kara Danvers, and she had officially joined the Danvers family.


	4. Chapter 3: Midvale Middle

Chapter 3: Midvale Middle

With Kara officially conducted into the Danvers family, the next step was to enroll her in school.

"Welcome to Midvale Middle," Alex said with a dry smile as she led her new younger sister up the stairs and into the old stone building. Kara's expression was unreadable. On the one hand, she looked moderately excited. On the other, though, she looked a little less than impressed with the school.

"If you had it better back home, just keep in mind that this is a small-town school, so of course it isn't going to be the world's best," Alex said, noting that look of discontent in Kara's eyes. Kara, embarrassed that she had been so easy to read, ducked her head with a sheepish smile.

"Don't worry," she said. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

By the end of that first day, Kara wouldn't really be sure whether or not she agreed with her own statement or not. Earth school certainly was a spectacle…

First class had been English, which Kara had done decently well in. She still needed to perfect her knowledge of the English language, but she wasn't miserably behind everyone else. She could read and write fairly well, all things considered, and since it was only the first day of class, nothing too complicated had started yet. It was mostly just introductions and whatnot. The real tough stuff would come later when they started actually diving into more complicated literature.

"But don't worry about that either," Alex snickered darkly. "Everyone knows English is a slack-off class. Even the hardest books are easy and half the students don't even bother to read them because you can just find everything online! You don't even need to be a good reader or writer, you just need to know how to say what the teachers want you to say, and then you'll pass! It's an Easy A!"

And Kara wasn't sure if this idea relieved or concerned her. On the one hand, she was grateful to know that this class was one so simple even an idiot not paying attention could pass, but on the other, she did find it a tad insulting to think that this class was so easy that people could afford to do nothing and still pass.

Language was far nobler and complex than what this class made it out to be and Kara wasn't sure how she felt about that. Kryptonian classes had been much more intense and in-depth. It sounded like, by comparison, all anyone on Earth needed in order to complete English class was to show up physically, but they didn't even need to come mentally prepared. It seemed wrong somehow, and Kara almost found herself longing for the rigorous days back on Krypton, where language was properly respected and treated almost like an art form. Oh well, at least this class would be an Easy A…

Her next class had been math, which had confounded her deeply. She was just glad to realize that she was not the only one in class confused by the subject. Only Alex and a handful of others seemed even halfway confident in their abilities.

"Don't worry, Kara," Alex again promised. "It'll get easier with time!" and Kara cheered up slightly.

"No it won't," someone behind them muttered darkly. Alex shot the person a glare while Kara felt her face droop again. Math was hard! She didn't think she liked this class very much.

Then came history. This was the class Kara was most excited for.

"It'll be interesting to see the history of your planet," Kara whispered to Alex, but Alex hurriedly shushed her.

"It's not nearly as exciting as you think, and I would be cautious of how you word things because if anyone hears you say something like "_your_ planet" they'll be confused and suspicious!"

"Ah, you're right," Kara inwardly kicked herself. The Danvers had all thoroughly impressed upon her the dangers of being alien in a human world. Although quite a few humans accepted aliens easily and willingly, a few held dark feelings and thoughts towards outsiders and for Kara's own safety, it was wisest to blend in. Kara quickly realized that Alex had a point and made a mental note not just to try and learn Earth's languages and history, but also its peoples' languages and history so that she could more easily hide away in a crowd.

But that little gloomy thought aside, Kara did find history fascinating. Krypton was always known as being a warring but elegant planet, aggressive and fierce, yet highly intelligent, refined and dignified. Earth seemed to have a similar dichotomy. In all the stories Kara read and heard, Earth was either a place of savage beauty and thrilling struggles for power and recognition, or it was a place of transcendent and ethereal marvel, shrouded in pinnacle human deeds of intellect and heroism and sacrifice.

"Wow!" Kara had muttered after that first history lesson, though it had only been a summary about how humanity started off. She made sure never to act like that again, however, when Alex and several others gave her disapproving looks.

"This is our most boring class!" Alex hissed softly. "Never sound excited for it!"

"Nerd!" someone else snickered at the same time and a few others began to laugh at Kara. Once again realizing how she'd just outed herself as a weirdo and compromised her secrecy as an alien, Kara ducked her head shyly and made a mental note to never speak in this class again, unless it was to mock or insult it and its boring lectures, though Kara did secretly find it all to be really fascinating.

Then came science, which was another class Kara had been looking forward to. Though she was no scientist, she did hold a deep fascination for the subject, especially as it pertained to Earth. And of course, outer space was always something she held a passion for. She thought science as a subject was cool, and was eager to see how experiments were conducted on Earth, and what sort of things were considered worth studying here.

"Don't get too excited," someone muttered to her. "It's nothing but a bunch of boring memorization and junk."

"The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell! Woot, woot!" someone else bellowed a few seconds later, earning a few sniggers from the rest of the class. Kara blinked. These were not terms she was familiar with, but if it was a common joke spoken in science class, she would be sure to laugh just like everyone else next time.

After science class, there was a break for lunch.

"How's your first day so far?" Alex asked as she and Kara took a spot in a quieter corner of the lunchroom.

"Interesting," Kara replied, shoveling food into her mouth. Alex gave her a slightly disgusted look, but Kara missed it entirely. Unlike the other students at the school, she actually didn't mind cafeteria food. Instead, to her, while it wasn't as good as Eliza or Jeremiah's cooking, it was still tasty stuff. Alex wished she could've had that strong of a stomach.

"Did you learn anything good?" Alex instead asked.

"Yes!" Kara said excitedly, then she began eagerly explaining to Alex all of the things she'd heard her teachers and peers say. All of it interested her, even the boring bits.

"Sounds cool," Alex said. "Make a fool of yourself yet?" she tilted her head with a teasing smile.

"No!" Kara replied, but she looked up from her tray with worry in her eyes. "Why? Do you think I have?"

"No, no," Alex shook her head with a gentle laugh. "I was just kidding."

"Oh," Kara, satisfied with the answer, dipped her head back down and kept on eating. Alex made another disgusted face which, once again, Kara totally missed.

"Just try to act normal," Alex pleaded as she watched Kara eat.

"Mmmkay," Kara replied as she took another giant bite of her food.

Then once lunch was over, it was time for P.E.

"Screw this, man!" someone cursed angrily.

"I know, the uniforms suck!" agreed another.

"My shoes don't fit!" someone else grunted.

"I'm too tired for this crap!"

"I'm already sore!"

"God! I hate this class!"

"I don't feel like running a bunch of stupid laps today!"

"Think anyone will notice if I hide under the bleachers?"

"The locker rooms smell like straight up-"

It didn't take Kara long to realize how universally despised "P.E." was, though she could not understand why. Didn't people like to run and jump? To play and put their strengths and skills to the test? Was competition not in the blood of every human? Didn't they want to get stronger and healthier? Judging from the either tired or irritated or apathetic looks everyone else was wearing, it didn't seem so. And then Kara remembered something. She wouldn't be able to fully exert herself in this class. As one who already had physical abilities beyond that of a normal human, if Kara wanted to fit in, she would intentionally have to play without her fullest potential. That was going to make this class very boring indeed. Without even meaning to, she was already heaving an unhappy and wistful sigh, wishing for the planet she had been forced to leave behind and all of those who had been on it. At least there, she would've been able to run wild and free!

"Ouch!" someone shrieked in the distance and Kara turned around in time to see a small pileup of students. She had no idea what had happened, just that everyone was thoroughly ticked off.

"Alright everyone, come on! Get up!" the coach instructed sharply and all the students, grumbling, crawled to their feet before they continued to loop the gym. Kara followed them halfheartedly, feeling more like she was walking than running because of how slow she was supposed to move.

Her fifth class was a computer class, which she was grateful for because although Krypton had quite a bit of technological similarities with Earth, there were a few things Kara still didn't understand about human electronics. This class was highly beneficial and enlightening to her, helping her get used to life on Earth.

But while the teacher stood at his computer, droning on and on about "Micro softs" and Words and Excels and Powered Points, Kara could already see half of her peers on something called "YouTube" watching little movies on their screens instead of listening to the teacher. This concerned her to some degree, but she instinctively already knew that it was best if she did NOT draw attention to herself, so she just keep her eyes focused on her keyboard (she didn't know why it wasn't in the same order as the English alphabet). The kid in the seat next to her was clicking rapidly on his mouse, playing some kind of game with lots of colorful square shapes. At the moment, he was building a large building of stone. Kara thought it was really impressive.

After the computer class, Kara headed onto a Home Ec class. Jeremiah and Eliza had spoken privately with the school principal in order to get Kara into it. The normal student did not need to take such a class, but because Kara was so new to Earth, they insisted on having her take it anyway. And it wasn't a normal Home Ec class either. It didn't just teach students how to raise a family or a child, and it didn't just teach them how to manage a house or bills. It also taught them how to interact with other people and how to exist and work in the world at large. It was a class geared towards students who were not always good in social situations and, for someone like Kara, this was a Rao-send of a class.

"And we're the first school in the country to employ it!" the teacher said proudly.

"First?" Kara's face fell just a little. In her mind, "first" implied "only" and it saddened her to think that only one school in all the world had a class that taught confused people how to truly be human, and to be happy and successful while doing it. Life on Earth could be hard! And Kara wished that a class like this could've been opened to every single human on the planet. But apparently, only Midvale Middle agreed with her on that.

Kara's final class of the day was choir, music. Alex had signed her up for it.

"It's an easy class and it's fun enough. We either goof off or make fun music and most of the kids there are pretty cool," she had said when she first got Kara to sign up for it. It was the fourth and final class they had together. At Eliza and Jeremiah's behest, the Danvers sisters shared the first three classes together before Kara went to her next three alone and then they would finish the day together.

"Alright, class, today, we're going to sort you into vocal parts!" the choir director clapped her wrinkly hands. Only a few students were listening and even fewer looked interested.

"I thought you said this class would be fun!" Kara whispered nervously to her sister.

"It is, the teacher is just a dingbat!" Alex whispered back with a snort. "As soon as she shuts up, it'll get fun!"

"Dingbat?" Kara echoed back, having never heard that phrase before.

"Nothing," Alex replied with a half smirk before gesturing for Kara to hush.

"Who thinks they're a soprano?" the director asked. A few hands went up.

"Alto?" different hands went up, including Alex's. Seeing this, Kara was quick to raise her hand too.

"Not yet!" Alex hissed, quickly shoving Kara's hand back down.

"But I don't-" Kara began nervously, trying to raise her hand again.

"You will! Just trust me!" Alex hissed back, still holding Kara's hand down.

"Tenor?"

"Base?"

"Uncertain?"

"Ok, now raise your hand!" Alex instructed and, uncertainly, Kara did.

"Excellent," the director said. "Now, will all of you who raised a hand for "Uncertain" come forward?" she asked, beckoning everyone up to her piano. A small fraction of the class, Kara included, obeyed.

"Alex!" she whispered worriedly, but Alex only pointed to the piano. Kara could only obey.

What followed was the director instructing each undecided student to sing along with whatever she played on the piano. Each person sang for about 20 seconds. It was over in five minutes.

"Good!" she muttered once everyone finished. Kara had gone last. "You have a lovely voice," she said.

"Thanks," Kara replied shyly.

"Are you a trained singer?" the teacher asked next.

"No," Kara admitted, ducking her head. The teacher looked genuinely surprised, but she only nodded politely.

"You're Alex's new sister, aren't you?" she added a second later.

"Yes," Kara nodded, suddenly worried, hoping the woman wouldn't ask too much about her past.

"Well, it will be lovely to have another Danvers singer with us," she instead said. "Alex is a wonderful Alto."

"Oh, ok," Kara gave her an awkward smile, not knowing what that word meant. The teacher only smiled back before dismissing everyone back to their seats. The rest of the day was devoted to warmups, which were easy enough, though they were kind of strange. Alex took them deadly serious, so Kara tried to as well, though quite a few other students were goofing off or making stupid faces as they raised and dropped their voices comically. Kara's first day at school really had been very interesting…


	5. Chapter 4: Halloween

Chapter 4: Halloween

As Kara's second week of school ended and third week started, her positive opinion about the school remained the same. Although the school itself could've used some touch ups and although some of the people who attended it (staff and student alike) were less than stellar people, Kara genuinely enjoyed everything that she learned. It was all so fascinating to her!

Additionally, she found school easy, unlike a majority of the other students, who were all having a hard time for one reason or another. Kara was a very "Teacher's Pet" type student and she often finished all of her school work before class even got out, unlike the rest of the students. As one may have expected, this did draw some negative attention from the others. Kara was always so on top of everything and that led to some teasing.

"She is so strange, and such a loser!" they would mutter. "She's such a nerd and it isn't normal! How does she manage to do all of her schoolwork so fast? It's like she can move at the speed of light! What a Teacher's Pet!" and they would continue to mock and deride her for being so smart and devoted.

Kara absolutely hated hearing those words. They made her bristle with anger and hurt, and quiver with fear and self-consciousness. She really did find their jibes quite hurtful and offensive, but she didn't dare confront anyone about it, lest her secret identity be revealed. That fear about being sniffed out as an alien was what kept her silent about the bullying. She chose to just deal with it.

It wasn't always easy though, as some of the more persistent kids liked to ruin Kara's day even when nothing of importance was going on. There did come one day when Alex and Kara had been goofing around by the lockers, talking about boys and the boringness of middle school, and that was when a small cluster of some of the meaner kids sauntered on by. Accompanying them was a slew of insults, all aimed at freaky little Kara.

"Loser!"

"Teacher's Pet!"

"Know-It-All!"

"Hermione Granger Freak!"

"Nerd!"

"Dork!"

"Geek!"

"Freak!"

"Smarty Pants!"

But while Kara ducked her head, attempting to make herself smaller and smaller, Alex stood up, attempting to make herself bigger and bigger. She snarled bravely at the bullies, fighting back with words just as cruel as their own. Unlike Kara, she would not tolerate any bullying. Ever.

"Get a life and stop being lazy!" she snapped. "You empty-headed, empty-hearted wastes of space!"

"Ooooh! Alex Danvers is angry! I'm so scared!" some of the bullies pretended to swoon with fear.

"If you don't knock it off, I'll give you something to fear!" Alex replied, muttering coldly under her breath. But while the bullies continued to laugh and poke fun at the two sisters, still pretending to be deathly afraid of Alex, Kara continued to not-so-subtly-hide behind her older sister, just praying that the bullies would get tired of them soon and leave them alone…

For the rest of the day, Kara did her best to do her work slower, trying to finish everything at a normal human speed and NOT use her superspeed, just so she wouldn't draw anymore unwanted attention.

But if the usual bully drama wasn't enough, something far more serious was lurking on the horizon. After about one month after Kara had started Human School, as she kept on calling it, to Alex's dismay and embarrassment, Kara began hearing words like "racism" and "bigotry" and "prejudice" circling around the school. Certain groups of people were using those words against certain other groups of people, accusing them of being discriminatory against aliens. Naturally, this caught Kara's ears and raised her concerns to impossible heights. She listened in on the chatter and gossip anxiously.

"That's just as bad as racism! It's like saying you think White people are so much better that they deserve the world while Black people matter so little that it doesn't matter if they live or die, so long as it benefits the White man!" someone shouted passionately.

"Oh, shut up! This is _nothing _like racism!" the person he was accusing snapped. "Racism is a rivalry between races of humans. This so-called "Xenophobia" is a fear of alien invaders who mean us real harm! And besides, some aliens do have subhuman intelligence. It's not like racism where it pitted two types of people against one another. Would you consider it offensive and insensitive if I were to suggest that a cat or a dog was worth less than a human? No? Same thing with aliens!"

"But some aliens _are _intelligent, just like humans. You can't bunch them all into one group and insist that they are _all _subhuman!" the other side shot back.

Back and forth the arguments flew, every student chiming in about what it truly meant to be bigoted and discriminatory against aliens, and if such a thing was even worth worrying about. It set Kara on edge, especially when someone brought up the topic of dissecting aliens like frogs for the purpose of scientific study, but Kara knew better than to try and draw attention to herself when such a heated topic was at stake. Instead, just like always, she kept her eyes down and her mouth shut.

After Kara's second month in school finished, she finally found something to look forward to.

"Halloween," Alex said. "It's a holiday humans celebrate on October 31st every year! It's a day of thrills and chills, tricks and treats, sweets and shrieks!" then she proceeded to give Kara a long winded and excited speech about the wonders of Halloween. It sounded quite fun to the young alien and when the day finally rolled around, she and Alex both hit the town dressed to the nines. Kara dressed up as Alexia Ashford from Resident Evil Series while Alex dressed up as Claire Redfield from the same series.

"This is gonna be so much fun!" Alex declared as she and her sister, in costume, began their little Trick-or-Treat experience. Maybe they were both in middle school and, to some, too old to celebrate, but since it was Kara's first time, Alex decided to make an exception. Besides, in her mind's eye, one was never too old for candy, so one was never too old for Trick-or-Treating!

But the fun was cut short when 15 racist students walked by, the leader of the group having the gall to dress up like a Nazi (well, technically, it wasn't a Nazi costume, but it looked so similar to one that the inspiration for the costume was obvious). The other 14 wore similarly dark and disturbing outfits, a few of them dressed up like mad scientists and others dressed up like soldiers and SWAT officers with guns. A couple of them, the mad scientists, even wore signs on their lab coats that read "Alien Dissection Experts".

"What horrible costumes!" Kara cried out in dismay, taking a step backward as they moved closer.

"Thanks!" their twisted leader grinned. He looked eerily proud of himself and his crew.

"That wasn't a compliment!" Alex came to Kara's defense, scowling bravely up at the boy dressed as Nazi.

"What? It's Halloween! Can't I have a little fun?" he asked. "It's not like I'm a real Nazi! It's just a costume!"

"You'd be surprised how much like a face a mask can become," Alex replied darkly, crossing her arms as she looked the boy up and down. "That costume really is in bad taste and you shouldn't have worn it."

"It's just a costume!" he protested. "It's not hurting anyone! It's just a bit of fake cloth! I'm only going to wear it for pretend. It's just for Halloween! Like I said, I won't wear it all the time!"

"A costume says a lot about a person," Alex repeated calmly, though her voice was as cold and hard as ice. "It says what the person wanted to look like, it says what the person wanted to emulate, and it says just how far that person was willing to go in order to achieve that goal, and what his or her idea of success was…"

"I told you, I am not a real Nazi! It's just a fake, pretend Halloween thing!" the boy in the costume repeated patiently, but it was clear that neither of the Danvers sisters believed him. Like Alex had said, a mask could easily become a face, and a costume like that was never done "just for fun". If this boy was dressing like a Nazi, he was either already secretly one, or planning to become one, even if he didn't yet know it. A costume said a lot about the wearer, and their mind and subconscious thoughts and feelings.

"Besides, he ain't a regular Nazi!" another girl in the group piped up. "He's a Bounty Hunter! He travels across the galaxy protecting us and keeping Earth safe from outside invasion!"

"Well that's even worse!" Alex snapped, arms still crossed. "You're promoting a galaxy-based genocide with that kind of talk!" she continued. But Kara did not stick around to hear the reply, the stress and strain of having to speak with these students proving too much for her.

While Alex willingly ripped into all of them, Kara turned tail and fled, tears burning in her eyes.

"Wait!" Alex cried after her sister, anger instantly turning into concern. Then, with one last scowl at the other students, the elder Danvers sister went sprinting after the younger Danvers. Cruel laughter followed her as she ran across the neighborhood and after Kara.

An hour later, Alex had successfully managed to find Kara and bring her home. It was obvious she had been badly shaken and upset by the earlier encounter, but Alex couldn't blame her. It had been pretty scary. And it was made even worse by the fact that Alex had known those kids. Although they were a few years older and, thusly, attended the high school and not the middle school, Alex still knew them. She had seen them around before. And two or three of them even lived in the neighborhood! That was the saddest, scariest part, that three of these violently racist and xenophobic people could be Alex's own neighbors and acquaintances.

And of course, poor Kara was afraid because she had come to see Earth as a safe and friendly home for her, but with each passing day, as the rumors and whispers grew louder and louder, she began to feel less and less certain…

But as cruel as the world seemed to be getting, there was still some goodness and hope in it. The school district was having a large costume party the following night and, naturally, the Danvers sisters attended. They brought their Alexia Ashford and Claire Redfield costumes back out of the closet and, thanks to a ride from their mother, made it to the school just in time for the costume competition. It felt as though everyone else in all of the schools had come too, and the Danvers sisters saw costumes from every book, show, movie and game imaginable. They saw Harry Potter, Zelda, Mario characters, Disney Princesses, witches, ghouls, skeletons, zombies, vampires, cartoon characters, superheroes… and the boy dressed up as a "Bounty Hunter".

"Alex! He's here!" Kara whimpered, gripping her sister's arm as she pointed to the boy and his gang.

"The nerve of him!" Alex hissed, smile fading into a scowl at once. But luckily, he and his friends were quickly removed from the competition for the offensive costume.

"Serves him right!" Alex humphed when she saw him and his buddies forced to leave the school. They all looked sullen and angry, each of them having tried their best to argue their way back into the competition. Luckily, though, the common crowd had enough sense to remove them immediately.

"I told him his costume was offensive!" Alex continued as she and Kara watched him slink out of the school angrily. He had, once again, tried to argue that his costume was not technically that of a Nazi (because he didn't have the Swastika) but even the youngest in the costume competition could tell what he was trying to emulate.

With him gone, the school district's Halloween party carried on like normal, leaving everyone, especially the Danvers sisters, in far better spirits than before. But that wasn't even the best thing that happened that night! The two girl actually managed to win part of the costume competition!

"And the winner for Most Unique Costume goes to… Alex and Kara Danvers!" the announcer had bellowed.

"OMG we won!" Alex shrieked in delight. She and Kara shared a happy embrace as they danced around cheerfully. All around them, other people were applauding. But it was true! A lot of the other costumes were rather cliche and banal, or nondescript. But the Danvers had been the only people there to choose characters from Resident Evil. And their costumes were fairly good as well! So by virtue of being the only people in the entire school district to have Resident Evil costumes, Alex and Kara won that part of the competition. It was a wonderful night! And plus, since it was a Halloween party, they gained even more candy, as if the previous night's Trick-or-Treating hadn't already done that.

"You can never have too much candy!" Alex cried gleefully as she and her sister devoured their way through all the food and sweets available at the party. Kara's mouth was so full she couldn't agree verbally, but the enthusiastic nodding of her head was more than enough to get the point across. Halloween was starting to become Kara's favorite day of the year!


	6. Chapter 5: Luthors

Chapter 5: Luthors

_The 2004 US Election Results are In:_

_Candidates: Olivia Marsdin and Lex Luthor_

_Party: Democrat and Republican_

_Home state: New York and California_

_Running mate: Cat Grant and Otis Graves_

_States carried: 4 and 46_

_Vote Count: 43,921,500 and 248,888,500_

_Percentage: 15% and 85%_

It was a solemn day for the Danvers family. Although the threat of the election had been looming over their heads for that entire year, to actually hear it said aloud that Lex Luthor had won was beyond devastating.

"We never thought that clown would even get past the first round," Jeremiah muttered darkly as the news made the announcement that Lex had just managed to become the youngest president in US history. "We thought for sure this country would have better sense than that!" but alas, Jeremiah's hopes had been too high for the country and, somehow, the selfish and egomaniacal monster known as Lex Luthor had taken the White House.

"And by such a high amount!" Eliza agreed bitterly. Although Lex had been in the lead for quite a while, it was only in the last month or so that he managed to pull ahead so drastically. The Danvers had thought (and hoped) that a miracle would occur and somehow sweep Lex off his feet and back into the sewer from whence he'd come, but no such miracle occured. Instead, Lex managed to stand his ground until the very end, and, despite all the controversy and jokes, he managed to win. This plunged most of the rest of the world, plus the small percentage of Americans who had NOT voted for him, into a deep despair.

The rest of the Luthor family seemed no better than Lex himself. There was Lex's cold, cruel, greedy, lazy father Lionel, and his cunning, manipulative, backstabbing mother, Lillian. His vice president was an empty-headed piece of cannon fodder named Otis Graves and his First Lady was one Eve Teschmacher. She was far smarter than Otis, and far more cunning and cruel. She was quite like Lillian, and she really fit in very well with the Luthors. And Lex himself was the worst of all, seeming to be a combination of the worst traits in everybody else: his parents and his VP and First Lady combined. Along with being heartless and selfish, he was manipulative and unrepentant. The entire family, including the non-blood relatives that were Eve and Otis, were all bad to the bone. And now they were all in charge of the entire country.

The only one in Lex's evil brood that seemed even halfway decent was the mysterious young Lena Luthor. No one knew much about her at all. Many people assumed she would turn out just as heartless and selfish as her brother, but she was so good at keeping to herself that there was little to say about her. The only news made about her at all, aside from the fact that she was the president's younger sister, was the fact that she would soon be attending Midvale Middle.

"Great! A Luthor!" Alex scowled when word got out that the president's younger sister would be attending her and Kara's school.

"What's wrong with that?" Kara asked innocently and Alex shot her a pained look. Because Lex was so very anti-alien, Eliza and Jeremiah had done their best from ever mentioning him or his family to Kara, for fear that it would scare her. Because of that, she did not understand why having a new student would bad that bad. After all, she had been a new student once too! She actually quite looked forward to having a fellow new student to bond with. Surely this Lena Luthor girl couldn't be too bad, right? And since Alex couldn't bring herself to tell Kara the truth about the Luthors, Kara continued to eagerly await the arrival of the president's younger sister.

The day finally came when 13-year-old Lena Luthor, plus three friends named Jamie Sullivan, Josie Marchi, and Daisy Wong, all arrived at Midvale Middle. If the rumors and gossip about meeting the president's little sister had been loud before, they were a deafening roar once the young girl finally made her arrival onto the scene. Every head turned and every eye was trained on her as the entire school hungrily took its first look at little Lena Luthor. Despite all the stares and whispers, however, Lena ignored them all. It became apparent that all of the attention made her nervous, rather than pleased. Instead, she spent most of the day glued to her three friends' sides. Then, during lunch, she intentionally ate away from the cafeteria, not wanting to be hounded by staff and students alike demanding to speak with her or get a picture or autograph.

It was during this lunch period, then, that Lena first met the Danvers sisters. They too had chosen to eat away from the cafeteria that day, though for a very different reason than Lena herself.

"Luthor," Alex muttered coldly as the Luthor walked on over to them. They were eating in an empty classroom.

"Mind if I eat here?" she asked back, seemingly unfazed by Alex's guarded look.

"Sure!" Kara was far more open and eager, scooting over and patting the empty seat invitingly.

"Thanks," Lena smiled broadly and sat down willingly. Alex grunted again, but Lena still gave her no reaction. Instead, she seemed fixated on Kara, and Kara was fixated on her as well.

"That was very kind of you," she continued as she unpacked her lunch.

"Ah, well, I used to be a new kid so I know how hard it can be," Kara grinned easily as she waved Lena's thanks off. "I just wanted to help you feel welcome and normal because I know how it feels to not be."

"Well, I appreciate it," Lena smiled winningly at her. "You have no idea how tiresome it gets, being the president's little sister."

"Oh, I can only imagine," Alex deadpanned, but still neither Lena nor Kara responded. She grunted again.

"So your kindness really means a lot to me," the Luthor instead continued to address Kara.

"Well, it's wonderful to have you here!" Kara smiled, offering to shake hands with Lena. Lena accepted eagerly and clasped Kara's hand with a warm and firm fondness.

"Cripes almighty!" Alex muttered again, but just like always, she was ignored.

In the days to come, the Midvale school district continued to be a hotspot for drama and turmoil. Several more students from the high school were all banned from a school field trip after continually trying to come to class in Nazi-inspired uniforms. The list of guilty students was quite long: Kenny Li, Rick Malverne, Vicki Donahue, Josie, Barry Allen, Caitlin Snow, Ralph Dibny, Cecille Horton, Oliver Queen, Felicity Smoak, Roy Harper, Alena Whitlock, Sara Lance, Ray Palmer, Thea Queen.

"I can't believe it!" Eliza murmured. It was clear that the news upset her deeply.

"What's wrong?" Kara asked, hearing the despairing and terrified note in Eliza's voice and growing concerned. Eliza tried to shield her younger daughter from the harsh truth, but Kara was insistent, and it was finally Jeremiah who stepped up to speak in her defense.

"I think we should tell her, Eliza," he murmured.

"But Jeremiah!" Eliza sounded horrified at the idea.

"I know it's scary and I know it's hard," he soothed. "But she has a right to know. Besides, if the danger is as real as it sounds, it would be a disservice to us all if we kept her in the dark any longer. We can't shield her forever…" and Jeremiah continued to slowly talk his wife down until she finally surrendered. With great reluctance, she turned to Kara and explained.

Once she was finished repeating the article about the increased Nazi imagery filling the town, Kara slowly sank to her knees in despair. Her mother knelt down beside her, quick to comfort her and apologize.

"I'm so sorry it has to be like this, baby," she whispered as she cradled Kara and stroked her hair.

"I just didn't realize how hostile this planet was going to be," Kara whispered back, tears leaking from her eyes.

"Me neither," Eliza admitted with a rueful expression.

"I came here to be safe," Kara continued to whisper bitterly. "I came here to escape, to survive. I didn't come here to die or suffer or live in fear. I came here to _live_!"

And it was that night that Kara finally told her foster parents the story.

"You already know Krypton was destroyed by its own red sun and only I was able to escape," she began through bitter and exhausted tears. "But I was not the only one to be sent away. My younger cousin, Kal El, was supposed to come with me. But his own pod got knocked off course. I watched it happen from the radar inside my own pod, but I could do nothing about it. I could only watch as his little pod went veering away into the vastness of space, him alone inside…" Kara broke off and began to sob, shoulders shaking with grief.

"There is nothing I wouldn't do to bring him back, to save him, to fix things, to set it right again, but I literally can't do anything. He was sent away, struck by a stray asteroid, and his pod was the one that paid the price. If only it could've been mine… But now he's gone, dead, and he was only a baby! Six months old!"

Then Kara could say no more as the grief swallowed her whole and ripped the voice right out of her throat. Neither Eliza nor Jeremiah could think of anything to say either, the true horror of Kara's story finally being revealed to them.

It was one thing to have to be sent away from home because of a danger inside of that home. It was another thing entirely to lose someone else who was supposed to have come along. And a baby no less! A tiny, helpless child, floating alone in the vastness of space, left to die with no one there to comfort him as he took his final gasps, cold, alone and afraid, only the eternal void there to watch him. And Kara, meanwhile, had managed to make it to Earth safety and land right into the loving hands of the Danvers.

And now the true pain and fear of Kara's story was revealed. She wasn't just afraid for her own life while on Earth, she feared for any other alien who tried to move in. And she feared that she, too, would die before ever having the chance to live. She had come to Earth and chosen to survive not just because it was what she and her parents had wanted, but because she had wanted to live a life for Kal, since he would never have the chance. Now, it seemed, Kara wouldn't even be able to do that. Not as long as the anti-alien movement continued to flourish. To call it heartbreaking and unjust would be an understatement. But what else could any of them do? The Luthors' New World Order was just getting started…


	7. Chapter 6: Secret

Chapter 6: Secret

"So, where are you from?" Lena asked Kara the next time they met up. The two had become very close very fast, each of them mysteriously and inexplicably drawn towards the other. But as friendly as they were, Kara had still been highly secretive of her life, refusing to give Lena even the tiniest hint about her past. Not that that discouraged Lena from trying to figure it out.

"Sorry Lena, I just really don't like to talk about it," Kara shook her head with an apologetic smile, but her cover-up wasn't entirely untrue. It really was hard for her to talk about Krypton… and Kal. It had taken her multiple months to even tell her foster parents, so even Lena, wonderful as she was, was not going to be hearing the story any time soon, if ever.

"Awww, I thought we were friends!" Lena pretended to pout.

"We are!" Kara cried passionately. "I just don't like telling people. To be honest, I haven't even told my own foster family!" she looked almost ashamed as she said this.

"You're no fun!" Lena remarked, but she elbowed Kara playfully to let her know that she was only teasing.

"What can I say?" Kara gave another apologetic laugh.

"You can't even give me a tiny hint?" Lena continued to press hopefully.

"Nope," Kara gave her a small smirk as she shook her head.

The two friends continued to go back and forth like this for a little while more.

"But why?" Lena asked at last. "Why can't you tell anyone, even your own family, even the smallest of hints? You know I'd never hurt or betray you! You can trust me! I'll keep the secret! So please tell me!" and it was then that Kara's face fell, just for a second. Although she believed Lena entirely and had total faith in her, it wasn't that simple. Even if Lena was a good person, that didn't mean the rest of her family was.

Besides, even if they were, there were still so many bad people right here in Kara's neighborhood that telling anyone her secret would put her entire life and family in jeopardy. It would be so easy for a secret to get out, even accidentally, and it would be even easier for that secret to spread across the entire town in one day. One little slip could mean the end of Kara and the Danvers. Her family had impressed that upon her deeply…

"Remember what we said, Kara," Eliza and Jeremiah had told Kara before her first day of school. "Don't ever use your powers anywhere, especially not in a public place like school!"

"I understand!" she had promised solemnly, but even that wasn't good enough and the Danvers were quick to turn on Alex, tasking her with helping keep Kara's secret safe, hidden and controlled.

But even if Lena did manage to be the only one to ever hear the secret, then it would only put her in danger too. Kara just couldn't take that risk. So she kept her secret safe and left Lena in the dark. It made her feel bad, but if it kept her, her family and Lena safe from all the local hate groups, it would be worth it…

In the days to come, the new US president, Lex Luthor, signed into a law an act which ended all government censorship of all media. It was titled the "Against Dictatorship in Social Media" Act and it officially put an end to government control and moderation of media, including movies, shows, games and various social media platforms.

"Was that act really that necessary?" Lena had asked him over a private phone call one night.

"Well, think of it this way, sis, now you can watch whatever you want whenever you want!" Lex replied smugly, reclining in his Oval Office. Lena huffed.

"I wish I could be back with you. This school sucks!" she complained.

"Now, now, Lena, remember what you promised me," Lex sing-songed, but there was an edge in his voice.

"I know, I know," Lena sulked. "You asked me to come to Midvale to keep an eye out on the Hate Groups here. But was it really necessary? Couldn't you have sent in one of your other goons? Why did it have to be me? What can I do for or against them anyway?!"

But as Lena continued to demand why Lex had been so insistent upon her coming to Midvale, Lex only continued to snicker coldly over the phone, teasingly denying Lena the answer to these questions. Although it had been true that he had personally sent her to Midvale on a secret assignment and although it had been true that Lena had agreed, it had not been true that this assignment involved scouting out the local Hate Groups. Lex had had other, more sinister plans in mind…

"_Where is it?! Where is it?! It was right here! It was right here!" Kara panicked, splashing through the lake she'd first crashed into when her pod finally reached Earth. But that was just it, the pod was no longer there. Her three new family members continued to help her look, scouting the waters and the forest surrounding them, but nothing ever came up. The pod was well and truly gone, totally vanished. It was then that Kara broken down sobbing, her one and only piece of Krypton ripped away from her by a thief in the night. But it didn't matter how loudly she sobbed, nothing would ever bring that pod back…_

The pod, however, was still in near-mint condition, perfect and perfectly preserved in one of Cadmus' labs, brought to it at the behest of Lex Luthor himself. He had been part of the Cadmus team that found the pod on the night it crashed down to Earth. He had been one of the team to follow the NASA workers to the crash site before killing them all and taking the pod away to research it. He had been the one to realize that there was a Kryptonian currently living within Midvale… Desperate to get his hands on it, he had sent Lena in to try and seduce it, befriend it and bring it back to him. Of course, she had no idea what he was really up to, but that didn't matter to him. So long as she and the little alien got along, that was all that mattered to Lex…

All the while, Lena's eyes were still trained on the local Hate Groups.

"They're getting stronger and stronger each day, aren't they?" she asked bitterly as she and Kara observed a few members walking down the road with protest signs that called for the banning of aliens on Earth. Kara felt her stomach churn as she watched them walk by, but she said nothing. Instead, she only nodded grimly along with Lena's dark observation. But it wasn't even just the townsfolk, the large group of high schoolers who had been banned from field trips (and then from school itself) were still bitterly complaining about how unfair that ban had been. In their eyes, wearing their uniforms was not a crime, it was an exercise of free speech and free expression. They hadn't been harming anyone, just wearing the uniforms. But still, they were punished.

"This goes against our rights!" one of them wailed.

"It was only an act of solidarity after all!" another agreed angrily. "Support and comradery!"

"We weren't hurting anyone or protesting, just wearing something that signified our beliefs!" said a third. "We weren't rioting, we were supporting each other!"

"That's like trying to ban Pride flags just because you don't agree with homosexuality!" a fourth railed. "Let us wear our uniforms because it is within our rights to do so!" and on and on the students protested, arguing that banning them and their uniforms was nothing short of criminality and injustice.

"C'mon, let's get out of here!" Kara muttered at last, taking Lena by the hand and dragging her away from the screaming high schoolers. Lena seemed surprised by the sudden physical contact from Kara, but she allowed the younger Danvers to lead her away…

"Say, Kara, why don't you come out to dinner with me and my friends?" Lena asked a few minutes later, after the last of the shouting had died off in the distance. "There's a nice little place on the edge of town where we can get away from all of that," she cocked her head back in the direction of the protestors.

"Yeah, I think I'd like that," Kara agreed, some of the nervousness in her stomach dying down a little at the prospect of enjoying a nice little night out with her new friend. It would be nice to just hang out with Lena and, like she said, get away from all the craziness in their town…

A few hours later, Kara, Alex, Lena and Lena's three friends (Jamie, Josie and Daisy) were all out dining at a fancy little diner, The Silver Kettle, at the edge of town. At Alex's behest, Kara made sure to only order a maximum of two plates of food.

"It would look weird if you ate more than that," she'd whispered as her mother drove them over to the diner. "Normal humans only eat one, maybe two, plates and that's it."

"But that's not nearly enough!" Kara cried in dismay.

"But your sister is right, dear," Eliza said, looking at Kara through the car's mirror. "If you ate your usual four or five, your friends might get suspicious!" and that warning was more than enough to convince Kara to cut back on the food intake, at least for tonight.

So there she sat, with her sister and her four new friends, making sure to only eat two plates. Alex snickered at her but Kara had eyes only for Lena, hoping that she was making a good impression on the Luthor. Lena, meanwhile, was smiling right back at her. It was a wonderful night and a welcome distraction from all the craziness of the past couple of months.

An hour later, the dinner was over and Jeremiah came back to pick his daughters up.

"Thanks again for coming!" Lena cried as she waved a goodnight to the Danvers.

"Thanks again for inviting us!" Kara replied with an equally eager wave.

"Goodbye Mr. Danvers!" Lena thanked Kara and Alex's father next.

"Goodbye, Ms. Luthor," he replied with a friendly smile of his own.

But while Lena continued to wave until the Danvers car was out of sight, Jeremiah found himself frowning just a little as soon as he was out of the lot. He was beyond ecstatic that Kara had made a new friend, but he wasn't sure how he felt given that the new friend was none of than Lex "Anti Alien" Luthor's little sister. Could she really be trusted? Was she really as sweet as she seemed? Was Lex using her for something? Or did the Littlest Luthor have her own secret? Jeremiah really did not trust that girl at all, but seeing how happy she made Kara made it hard for him to try and ask or warn the young alien away from the young Luthor. He could only hope that Lena would prove different than the rest of her family, but only time would reveal that.


	8. Chapter 7: Prophetic Dream

Chapter 7: Prophetic Dream

It had been several weeks since Lena Luthor and her three friends arrived at Midvale, coming in with mixed reactions from the other residents. Aliens started going underground again and it was a rare day when someone could say that they met with an alien face to face. There were thousands living in secret, and some had gone under cover the way Kara had, masquerading as foster children with foggy pasts. But as well kept as the secrets were, there was someone out there desperate to uncover every last one of them: Lex Luthor.

About 24 years ago, when Lex was only 11 years old, he began having all sorts of nightmares and hallucinations about aliens coming in to destroy Earth and either devour or enslave humanity. For years, these nightmares plagued his dreams, and they began to affect his waking life as well. Even though they were only bad dreams, they happened so often and they were so vivid that Lex became convinced that he was having a prophetic dream every time one happened, and it quickly became his biggest goal in life to do everything he could to stop the oncoming hoard. It was why he had run for president with such anti-alien politics. He ran as Earth's champion, defender and protector, convincing a large swath of humanity that they needed salvation and protecting from an ever-growing threat of a classic alien invasion.

It was absolute madness, but madness often spread fast and well, especially when mixed with hysteria and paranoia. Because of that, enough Americans believed Lex's crazy fever dreams and they too accepted them as prophecy and they all began to double down on anti-alien rhetorics and politics. And Lex knew about the secret alien adoption centers and other places that helped smuggle aliens into the country. He knew about all the undercover agencies that helped protect and hide outsiders, and he was determined to shut every single little last one of them down, no matter what it took.

"They will all burn!" Lex muttered coldly as he sent his agents out to raid another alien bar. They were, on the side, working on shutting down a local alien adoption center (and Lex knew for a fact it was an alien adoption center and not a human adoption center because DNA tests showed that not a single baby or child within the agency was human) but that wasn't quite as swift and brutal as the bar raids.

"But no matter!" the Luthor declared. "No matter how long it takes, no matter how much time and effort and resources it takes, we will purge this sinful Earth and make it pure and clean once again, as it used to be, and as it should be, and as it always shall be!" and his new world order continued unhindered.

ooo

"Kara? Kara?! KARA!" Kara felt groggy and she slowly turned her head, then her eyes shot wide open.

"Kal?" and sure enough, there he was. Although he looked about 10 years old instead of only a few months, Kara was sure that she was looking into the eyes of her little cousin. She had never been more certain of anything in her entire existence. She somehow just knew that it was Kal, well and truly.

"Kal!" she cried out with joy, feeling tears filling up her eyes. She reached out to him with ready and open arms, which he ran into. For a moment, she could only snuggle him close, hugging him tightly and kissing his soft curly brown hair as she continued to sob his name.

"Kal! Oh, Kal! You're ok! You're alright! You're alive! You made it! You made it to Earth! And now you'll be with me always, and I will never let anything happen to you again! Oh! You'll love it here, Kal, I promise!"

Then Kara pulled away from Kal in order to study his face again, happy tears still burning her eyes. But her face contorted in horror when she saw Kal's own terrified expression.

"Kara! Kara! Kara!" he continued to wail, eyes unseeing as he stared up at her.

"Kal? What is it? What's wrong?!" Kara asked with growing alarm, feeling her heartbeat pick up in fear.

"They're coming, Kara!" They're coming!" Kal gasped and whined, looking almost possessed.

"Who? Who's coming?" Kara demanded, then suddenly, light illuminated her world. It was almost blinding, but she could make out moving shapes on the horizon of her vision.

"Them! Them! They're coming, Kara, they're coming!" Kal began to wiggle, struggling to escape her hold.

"Wait! Kal! No, wait!" she pleaded as he finally tore free of her and took off running. She sprinted after him, but he was suddenly gone out of sight, and the figures behind her were suddenly surrounding her from all sides.

Suddenly, everything was totally still and silent, except Kara found herself feeling unnaturally cold. Or at least, the back half of her was. Her neck, back and rear end were all cold, but the front half of her felt fine.

"Alright, if he's ready, bring him in," a voice above her muttered.

"Hello?!" she cried out, but she was quick to find out that she couldn't speak! Or move. Or even breathe! She had been totally and completely paralyzed! To call it panic would be putting it mildly, had Kara been able to move, she would've been thrashing hard enough to shake the entire Earth. But because she was paralyzed, she could do nothing except wait and watch…

Suddenly, then, the sharpest pain she'd ever felt sank into her stomach. She tried to shriek out in agony, but still no sound came out of her. Instead, she could only lie there exposed and belly up as the pain went deeper and deeper, getting sharper and sharper the longer and longer it carried on. It suddenly occurred to her, then, that she was completely naked, and strapped down onto a metal table. That was why her entire back half had felt so cold, it was pressed up against a hard metal table.

And above her? Humans. Billions and billions and billions and billions of humans. All of them, staring down at her, watching, watching. Watching as the torturous pain continued to pierce her stomach and chest before ripping them wide open and peeling the skin back to expose all of her soft, tender insides, which were soon pierced and dissected just the same way her skin had been. Knives and scalpels, sharper and sharper, deeper and deeper. Cutting, slicing, smooth cuts. Peeling away, skinning off layer after layer. And all she could do was lie there and scream and scream and scream, but still no sound came out of her…

Kara shot awake to the sound of her alarm clock, which she had mistaken for her own endless cries of pain. She was shaking and sweaty, but from the fact that Alex was just starting to wake up, Kara realized that she had not made one single sound that night. Just like in her dream, she had been totally powerless to cry out for help. Alex hadn't even realized she'd been suffering… The thought alone gave Kara the chills, and she could still feel the burning sting of the precise cuts that had once lined her torso. She did not believe in visions or prophecies, but just for that one night, just for that one dream, she couldn't help but feel as if she had seen the glimpse of the future. She couldn't help but feel as if she had had a prophetic dream…

ooo

Kara was so deeply disturbed and distracted by her prophetic dream that she was hardly aware of anything that morning. She didn't remember putting her clothing on, she didn't remember brushing her teeth or hair, her breakfast cereal had been like sawdust, her milk had tasted like nothingness, and she didn't remember hearing the TV play her favorite morning show and she didn't remember hearing Alex whine about homework and she didn't remember Jeremiah wishing her and Alex a good day at school and she didn't remember feeling Eliza kiss her cheek. She didn't remember anything except that awful dream and the even more awful pain she had felt during it. It was the only thing she could focus on or think about or feel anymore.

But perhaps it was a good thing she'd been so unaware of everything else, because if Kara had been even a little bit alert, she would've noticed how scared and stressed Eliza and Jeremiah had looked. And if she had been a little more alert, she would've realized why. The answer was on the headline of the newspaper: _US President Lex Luthor Proposes Executive Order Legalizing the Dissection of Aliens for Educational/Academic Purposes. _


	9. Chapter 8: The Executive Order

Chapter 8: The Executive Order

The day after Black Friday, it was reported that roughly one billion Nazi outfits had been sold across the world. The backlash had been incomprehensibly large and fierce, people from every corner of the globe coming together to protest or riot. Never had the planet seen such visible hatred, never had the planet seen such extreme solidarity, never had the planet seen such a well-organized and global protest. Literally, people from every walk of life came together to protest the alarming sales numbers, but that didn't matter at all.

Although the one billion was vastly outnumbered by the rest of the world, that one billion was so strong and stalwart that they refused to break, or even bend. No matter how many riots or attacks happened, these Neo-Nazis continued to grow and assemble, wearing their new uniforms with pride. It was a disturbing sight, made all the worse by the fact that nothing seemed capable of stopping or changing it, and that the president himself was subtly endorsing it from the sidelines.

Although Lex wasn't stupid enough to openly support Nazis, neo or otherwise, his continued anti-alien rhetoric was enough to make it clear where he stood. And even though he verbally and outwardly condemned all the neo-Nazis, they drew strength from his words and works, so it made his attempts at "silencing" them useless. Nobody was fooled by his lies, but nobody was brave enough to challenge him either. No one had ever expected to see one billion Nazis, yet they were today! But the numbers were so astounding that even though the Nazi Party was still far outnumbered by the rest of the world, the rest of the world was still too scared to fight back. They didn't even know how!

On Christmas Day, Lex's proposed Executive Order was signed in officially as a new US Law. Alien dissection for academic/educational purposes was now legal. It had been the worst Christmas ever for the Danvers, and even worse for Kara because it was supposed to have been her first. She spent it in tears, being cradled protectively by her foster family, who could do nothing but weep right along with their foster daughter as she mourned for the life she lost, the life she had, and the life that she was being threatened with losing once again. The cold of the snow outside was hot in comparison to the chill in all of their hearts that day.

But even though the Danvers' spirits were cold and dark and down, there were three others who were beyond gleeful. These three, of course, were Lex, Otis and Eve.

"You did it, sir! Congratulations!" Otis grinned as the Executive Order was finalized. He raised a large hand for a high five, a goofy expression on his chubby face. Lex ignored him completely, only giving a quiet and impatient, frustrated sigh at his childish, foolish antics. Although there was some merit and benefit to making someone as dimwitted and oger-ish as Otis his vice president, it was also quite tiring, because the man hardly seemed to know how to spell out his own name, let alone all the complicated documents and plots that being the friend of a Luthor President required.

Once again, Lex silently thanked his lucky stars for granting him with a brilliant first lady.

"MISS TESCHMACHER!" he thundered, and in she ran, obedient as ever.

"Yes Lexy?" she sing-songed, but when Lex shot her a glare, she cleared her throat. "Errr, uhh, yeah, I mean, uhhh, Yes, Mr. Luthor?" it was clear that she was a little more than disappointed at how callously Lex treated her, but she loved him and his intelligence and integrity so much that she forgave him yet again.

"Tell me, has my little sister uncovered anything yet regarding that alien pod we found about six months ago?" he asked, tilting his head as he regarded his first lady.

"Not yet that she has said, Mr. Luthor," Eve replied. As president, Lex was far too busy to keep an eye on his precious baby sister all the time. This meant that the task of keeping watch over Lena fell upon Eve's shoulders (because heaven knew Lex didn't trust Otis. He would be the idiot capable of losing an elephant in an empty room. There was no way he would be able to keep up with a 13-year-old Luthor).  
Eve had been a tad disappointed, at first, to have to babysit young Lena, but as the months had rolled on, Eve's fondness for the girl had grown, and it was genuine. Lena was a lot like her brother: smart, determined, brave, cunning, resourceful, manipulative and graceful, as well as an excellent conversationalist, thinker and chess-player. Eve really did see Lena as a younger sister and quite enjoyed watching over the girl, but so far, she had nothing of interest to report. That strange little alien pod they had found by the lake was still a mystery, and the missing alien that used to be inside of it was still… well… missing!

Lex cursed under his breath when he heard this but, knowing that nothing else could be done about it at the moment, he dismissed Eve with a wave.

"That is all, Ms. Teschmacher," he said. "I will see you at dinner in four hours."

"Yes, Mr. Luthor," she curtseyed to him, secretly grinning from ear to ear at the prospect of getting to dine alone with him in the luxury and privacy of the White House. It would be so romantic!

"What about me, boss?" Otis asked loudly as Eve pranced happily out of the Oval Office.

"You, my dear, dimwitted companion," Lex began, cringing at Otis' overbearing and obnoxious tone. "Will be in charge of making it known to the public that I highly encourage and endorse live video feeds of every alien dissection ever completed. Let this world know that Lex Luthor appreciates and approves of science, and believes that its beauty and intellect must be preserved and shared across the globe!" he made a grand gesture with his arms. "Let them know, tell them all, that I demand recordings of every dissection! I want them all archived here in the White House for audiences' viewing- errr, uhhh, _educational _pleasure! I will revolutionize science, and I will install a new world order to the way this planet treats its… second class citizens."

"Boy, boss, you sure are sadistic!" Otis grinned approvingly, and Lex's mood was dampened again.

"I know," he deadpanned, voice flat and irritated. "I'm a Luthor, and a US President, how much more diabolical can you get?" he slouched tiredly in his seat.

"Gee, boss, I don't know!" Otis answered.

"That was a rhetorical question," Lex snapped at him.

"A what?" Otis scratched his head. He was never one for big words, that was always in Eve and Lex's field.

"Just get out and go do as I ask!" Lex snapped again, pointing an angry finger towards the door.

"Yes boss!" Otis replied cheerfully, then he followed in Eve's footsteps, off to tell the world that Lex wanted to see and record every alien dissection ever completed.

In the months to follow, as other, smaller elections took place, Lex's dissenters finally became vocal. Lex's approval rating plummeted while members of the other side slowly began to garner support. Sadly, though, it was still not enough. Lex's approval ratings had not fallen far enough and, once again, all of his opposers were left in the dust.

_Candidates: Olivia Marsdin and Lex Luthor_

_Party: Democrat and Republican_

_Home state: New York and California_

_Running mate: Cat Grant and Otis Graves_

_States carried: 15 and 35_

_Vote Count: 87,843,000 and 204,967,000_

_Percentage: 30% and 70%_

Lex cackled to himself as the votes were tallied, and he made a mental note to watch the recording of the grand reveal later just so he could screenshot Olivia's crestfallen face and set it as his phone's background. It was just too hilarious and precious! That stupid little girl thought she could challenge the mighty Lex Luthor! Well, didn't her numbers disappoint? No one messed with a Luthor and survived. No one could topple the king of the world! The numbers spoke for themselves! The Luthor's new world order was only getting stronger!

ooo

Kara's "prophetic dreams" continued alongside Lex's reign of anti-alien terror. This time, though, Kara actually saw him face to face in her nightmares.

"Why hello there, little Kara," he crooned as he leaned over her vulnerbal, terrified, shaking form.

"Mr. Luthor!" she whined up at him, whimpering.

"Ah, ah, ah!" he waggled a finger mockingly in her face. "That's Mr. President to you!"

"What are you going to do to me?" Kara whimpered again.

"What do you think?" Lex replied, then he turned away from her.

"MISS TESCHMACHER!" and Kara suddenly heard a high-pitched squeak of metal wheels being rolled along the floor. What arrived was a cart chock-full of horrific metal tools, each of them sharp and glaring in the harsh white light. Eve Teschmacher, in a nurse's outfit, was the one rolling the tool table in.

"Mr. Luthor!" she sing-songed as she handed him a scalpel, then Kara heard no more as she began to scream and cry and panic, begging for mercy, or help, or even death. As long as it was an escape, she didn't care what she begged for. This time, she was able to move. She was still strapped down and rendered immobile that way, but she was not paralyzed in this dream like she had been in the last one. Now, she was free to squirm and to scream, but if anything, that only made the terror and horror and agony of the situation that much wore. Her squirming made every cut into her body jagged and awkward and her screaming did nothing but cause her to feel even more panicked, creating a vicious cycle of panic and pain and pain and panic.

Suddenly, though, Kara was aware of three more screams echoing her own. She craned her head back and squinted through the pain.

"Alex! Mom! Dad!" and sure enough it was, tied down tight and forced to watch the dissection was Kara's own foster family. She began to scream and cry again, but this time she begged for her family to be spared, both from the same torture she was enduring, and from having to witness it at all, but Lex only shook his head teasingly down at her as he continued to dissect her piece by piece. She sobbed as she heard her family screaming, and it made her spilling blood run cold as she realized that she could pick out each scream. She sobbed at the injustice of it all, and wailed in pain. This nightmare seemed like one that would never end.

"Kara! KARA! KARA!" Kara could hear them scream, screaming for her, screaming her name. She heard Lex's thunderous laughter echo above her head, then he grabbed at her and began to shake her violently, tormenting her and teasing her as her blood and guts continued to spill out of her body. Faster and harder he shook her until she was no longer screaming, but gasping, gasping for air. All around, she could still hear her family screaming for her, but she could no longer scream back. She could only lie helpless as Lex shook her over and over again, nearly slamming her head into the operating table on which she was strapped.

"Kara! KARA! KARA!" the screams of her family faded into one voice: Alex's. And Kara felt Lex's hands soften and shrink until they were almost gentle, though they continued to shake her violently. Then Kara's eyes finally shot open, not to the glaring light of a camera, but to the peaceful blackness of a dark room.

"Alex?" the young alien croaked, then she said no more as she launched into her older sister's arms and wept.

The next day at school was no better. The group of students who had worn the Nazi costumes on Halloween were officially rallying outside all of the Midvale school buildings. They had since been attempting to sue the school for violation of free speech and although it still hadn't gotten very far, with anti-alien sentiments on the rise, some of the court members were starting to see the upstart students in a more pitiable and favorable light. As the students themselves had said, they had committed no crimes or acts of violence while wearing their outfits. As such, it was unconstitutional for them to be punished for wearing such clothing. It was still a crappy argument that quite a few people disagreed with, but because they were not technically wrong, their case was supported. And again, with Lex in power, a victory for them seemed more and more likely every day.

It was not the sort of thing Kara needed to see while returning to school after a stressful and lonely winter break. It was during times like these when she wished she could have just died on Krypton with the rest of her family, or followed Kal into the depths of space forever. She was almost glad now that he had not come to Earth, because he was only a baby, but who knew what the likes of Lex would be willing to do, even to a harmless, little child? Kara shuddered to think about the hell Kal would've suffered, had he made it to Earth. Maybe it was better that he was dead. Now, if only Kara could have followed…

"Just ignore them," Alex wrapped a protective arm around Kara's shaking shoulders, but it was hard to do when all she needed was to look out a window in order to see older angry faces peering in at her, signs high and uniforms on. Even if they weren't yelling at her specifically, it certainly felt that way, and it made her blood feel colder than the ice outside. She did her best not to sit by any windows that day. At least until the volatile group could be escorted off the property by police. But even when they were gone, it did little to appease Kara's nerves. Her entire family and half the school were in the exact same boat.


	10. Chapter 9: The First Cut

Chapter 9: The First Cut

Lyra Strayd, like Kara Danvers, possessed a foster family. She was one of the thousands of aliens to choose a life undercover via adoption. Unfortunately, Lyra's adoptive family was nowhere near as kind as Kara's. They were an exploitative lot who essentially forced Lyra to become their slave, knowing that she literally had nowhere else to go. If she ever tried to run, or to tell anyone about their abusive treatment of her, they would willingly out her as an alien in disguise. This threat was so dire to Lyra that she chose to spend her life as a servant with a home instead of a runaway without.

Her fear of being sought out as an alien only increased when Lex passed his bill that legalized alien dissection. Although she was a strong and proud girl who had, long ago, taught herself to keep a stiff upper lip, even dissection was a threat scary enough to make her tremble. Lex was the one thing on Earth she feared. Everything else she could handle, even her abusive family. But anti-alien policies? It was something she never even dared address, let alone face.

It came to pass, then, one night, that Lyra was forced to confront her worst nightmare head-on, though what made it even worse than a nightmare was the fact that it was reality. She and her foster family had been sound asleep when the doors were violently kicked in. Before anyone could even blink, let alone sit up and properly awaken, the entire house was under siege. An army of black-clad humans stood around the house, guns and nets at the ready. Swiftly, they each entered the house and began scouting around for poor little Lyra. It didn't take them more than two minutes to find her.

"I've got it! I've got the alien!" the woman who found Lyra first screamed. Her comrades all whooped appreciatively while Lyra screamed her head off, panicking. But she was quickly silenced by a brutal punch to the mouth, and a hissed threat that said if she even made a single peep, her screams would be exercised to their max capacity. Lyra fell silent after that.

In the next room over, her parents were facing a similar situation. Although they were pure humans, simply by owning an alien, the SWAT team mistook them as enemies. They did not realize that Lyra's family had adopted her as a live-in servant, they assumed that the family had adopted her with the intention of protecting and hiding her. As such, they were treated like an enemy and dealt with in a very brutal manner.

"Let us go! Take her! Do whatever you want with her! But just leave us alone!" a female voice screamed. It was Lyra's "mother".

"Yeah! We had nothing to do with this! We only wanted her for the labor!" a male voice, her "father" agreed, but their pleas fell upon deaf ears.

"You were harboring an alien. You were an accomplice to a crime. By order of President Lex Luthor, you must be put down for your treason against this country."

"What?! Treason?! NO!" both of Lyra's parents wailed, then they said no more as they were swiftly and silently executed. Only Lyra survived the night, but her lifespan didn't extend too far beyond their own. Instead, as soon as her "parents" had been properly dealt with, she was quickly whisked away in the middle of that dark night and she was never seen again.

The next time Lyra saw the light, it was a blindingly harsh glare, white and hot. It burned right over her face and she had to squint in order to see anything. She turned her head one way, and then the other. She was dimly aware of metal straps holding her in place. Then she realized what kind of room she was sitting in.

An auditorium!" she gasped in growing horror. Sure enough, she was right. All around her, in all directions, there were rows and rows and rows of chairs. They were empty at the moment, but Lyra knew full well that they would be filling up very soon.

Lyra raised her head and cried out in dismay, shock, horror and embarrassment. She was completely naked. She began to thrash around against her metal shackles, but it was useless.

"Hey! Someone?! ANYONE?! LET ME OUT OF HERE!" she bellowed, sobbing, but nobody came to answer. Instead, she could only continue to scream and cry alone. She even tried to cover herself up, just to maintain one small shred of dignity, but she was strapped down so tightly that she could only wiggle her fingers. So her body was forced to remain prostrate, on display for the entire world to see. The humiliation was hotter than the overhead lamp, and that was burning her skin.

At last, then, someone finally entered the auditorium. It was a tall, young, human male in a long white coat. He wore blue rubber gloves and big goggles. Lyra began to panic again, whimpering and gasping as he slowly walked on over to her, taking his sweet time and humming an eerily chipper tune as he approached.

"Please, sir, please!" the poor little alien whimpered, tears in her eyes as she looked up through the blinding light as his handsome and shaven face. "Please kill me first! Please make it quick!" but his boyish smile was sickeningly cruel as he shook his head.

"Sorry ma'am, but no can do!" he sneered down at her, and all around, the seats came to life with noise as more and more students filed on in for their biology lecture. A few other lights suddenly bathed the area. Cameras! They were going to record the entire dissection!

"Please, please, please, please!" Lyra sobbed, shaking and gasping as the tears poured down her face in buckets, but the scientist hovering over her only continued to smile down at her.

"Sorry ma'am," he repeated. "But no can do!" then she heard nothing else but her own screams. The teacher made the first cut, and Lyra screamed and screamed and screamed and bled.

The speed and efficacy with which Lyra was taken was terrifyingly admirable, but of course, her absence was noted before too long, but even though it took less than 12 hours for anyone to realize that Lyra had been taken, it was still too late to do anything to help. Instead, all that could be given to her now was a eulogy and an obituary, speculating that a local hate group had kidnapped and/or killed her.

Because no ransom was ever put up and there was no trace of her to suggest enslavement or alien trafficking, she was assumed dead and that was that. Of course, cops were called in to search the house and send out parties to try and find her, but hopes were never very high, even from the start, and with each day where she remained missing, hope got smaller and smaller.

When Lyra's obituary made the news, Kara was heartbroken. Although she hadn't realized it before, she and Lyra had met once in the past, long ago. It was back when Krypton was still in one piece. When she was about 7 years old, her family had visited Lyra's home planet, and the two had met while Kara was there, becoming fast friends. But even though that was the only time Kara ever came into contact with the young Valerian, Kara's memories of her were fond nonetheless, and to learn that she had been kidnapped and killed (likely by an anti-alien hate group) sent Kara into a depressive spiral.

"She was only 13, Alex," Kara gasped softly as she wept over Lyra's obituary.

"Who was?" Alex asked in concern, Kara only shoved the paper over to Alex, pointing at Lyra's beautiful little face. as they were swiftly and silently executed. Only Lyra survived the night, but her lifespan didn't extend too far beyond their own. Instead, as soon as her "parents" had been properly dealt with, she was quickly whisked away in the middle of that dark night and she was never seen again.

"Oh my god," Alex breathed in horror as she read what had happened to the poor girl.

"Isn't it just sick?!" Kara gave a small hiss as she continued to cry and mourn. "That there are people out there who would do this? To a child? To my… my… my friend?!" then she began to bawl. Even though she hadn't been close to Lyra, they still had been friendly. But even if they hadn't been friendly, there was still something so gruesome and wrong about a child being kidnapped and killed that it would've been enough to upset anyone (or at least, anyone who actually believed that aliens deserved the same kind of life humans led).

"How can they do this, Alex, how?!" Kara sobbed into her sister's shoulder.

"I don't know Kara," Alex replied with a heavy sigh. "I just don't know…" and on a TV downstairs, that Eliza and Jeremiah were watching with horrified eyes, a live dissection was going on. It was little Lyra Strayd, and every little last organ inside of her body. All of it, laid out on display, like some sick, twisted trophy, for students to gawk and marvel at. And she was only the first of many who would suffer this same gruesome fate. She was the first cut.


	11. Chapter 10: Luthor's New World Order

Chapter 10: Luthor's New World Order

It had been nearly two month since the first alien dissection. Lyra Strayd was already almost completely forgotten, so thoroughly was she wiped off the map. Her name was but a whisper in the back of everybody's mind, her tombstone was already forgotten in the graveyard and her body had been picked clean, nothing left of her except individual organs and body parts stored safely away in jars locked away in the backroom of a science lab. She had completely and utterly been erased from the world. There was literally nothing left of her.

In those two months that followed, hundreds of other aliens began following in her footsteps. Infernians, Almeracians, Maaldorians, and countless others suffered the same cruel fate, more and more of them going missing every single day. Raids on houses, bars, malls, streets and other public places became commonplace. It was not unusual to see some poor alien being captured and dragged away to a grisly demise by a bunch of dark-suited, faceless mooks with guns and nets, the Luthor name on their lips as they captured their prey.

One alien named Draaga was taken from a one-star, shutdown, old hotel run by a few Pro-Alien activists. They had taken the old shambling hotel in attempts to make it into a safe haven for aliens looking to hide. Unfortunately, Luthor and his henchmen found it. The hotel might've been easy to miss for most of the world, but for people actively searching for aliens to catch and kill, even a hotel as decrepit and unsightly as that one was captured and raided. A small slew of aliens was kidnapped off the streets the very next night, taken from a cabin just a few miles outside of Austin, Texas.

And how were these travesties allowed to continue? Lies. Lex lied his way into the hearts of every home in America, convincing them all that the aliens he captured were monsters, and criminals. He lied and said that every alien captured and brought in for dissection was a threat that had to be neutralized immediately, before it was too late. He was able to convince most of the country that the aliens he captured deserved what they had coming to them, and that his cruel fate of legalized dissection was a suitable punishment for their so-called "crimes", though what those crimes were exactly was never specified.

"Just know that they are invaders and threats! They must be stopped before they can harm our planet! We must save and protect Earth before it's too late and this is how we're gonna do it! They deserve this fate! They deserve to be put down! They are wild, reckless, heartless fiends who will only stop in their crusade against our planet if we stop them first!" and enough of America agreed with him that they allowed these attacks and raids to continue unhindered.

But even though America was complacent, willingly subjecting themselves to Lex's lies and tyranny, the rest of the world was not so content or quiet. Instead, as the months rolled on, other countries began to stop importing things to America. In attempt to protest the evil acts being committed against aliens, countries across the world broke ties and contact with America, leaving it as a truly isolated country that could only rely on itself for its own survival. There was no more trade, no more alliances, no more communication, nothing but radio silence from the rest of the globe. It wa a very deep and harsh sort of disownment.

It was then that Americans finally started to cry out against Lex's treatment of the aliens.

"Let them go! Leave them be! Say that we will do anything the rest of the world wants so long as we get our imports back!" the public cried as the economic crash finally began to sink in. With the subsequent withdraw from the rest of the world, America was finally feeling the crash and burn of its own selfish folly. Marvelous as the country was, it was not self-sustainable. Especially not when someone like Lex Luthor was in control of every resource in the country. He didn't care at all about his people, only himself and his petty desire for vengeance. He willingly squandered all of America's time and resources to further his own agenda, leaving the rest of the country in squalor.

But Lex, just like the rest of the world, was deaf to the troubles of the American people. Cry though they may, he refused to yield at all. Instead, he was indifferent to the suffering of the land. He kept his large, tight inner circle well controlled and well cared for. Theirs was the only submission he needed. Everyone else was excessive. He didn't need the entire country to flourish, just his little inner circle. And so long as they were happy, he was happy, and if they were well-cared for, they would easily be able to control the masses.

It didn't matter that Lex and all of his goons were vastly outnumbered by the rest of the country, because he had so much more power, control and resource than they did, they didn't stand a chance against him. He and his well-kept army were more than capable of handling small-scale rebellions coming from the desperate poor of the country. What did any of those mice think they could do against a lion? Lex's reign really was complete.

Lex smirked as yet another band of faithful yet witless protestors assembled outside the White House, waving their stupid little signs and screaming themselves breathless.

"You know, you think they would've learned by now that those stupid little signs do nothing to help their cause," Lex mused as he stared out the window at them, reveling in their hatred.

"Shall I take care of 'em, Mr. Luthor?" Otis cracked his knuckles with a hungry smile.

"No, not yet," Lex waved him off. "The fun has only just begun!" then he shot Eve a sly smile, which she returned. With a sunny little grin, she pushed a nearby button on the wall and right as Mozart's "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" began to blast over the intercom and nearby speakers that were set outside the White House. A second later, the protesters were either shot down or burnt up as an array of weaponry from the White House sprung to life, eliminating the protestors left and right to the beat of a beautiful old symphony.

"Wow!" Otis marveled and Lex gave him a smug smile.

"Isn't it?" he asked proudly as he and his VP surveyed the death, destruction and gore happily. Eve slowly sauntered over to Lex's other side. It was clear that she, unlike the other two, was a little more than displeased, disgusted and disheartened by the violence going on outside.

But when Lex reached over to squeeze her hand affectionately, her unhappy expression quickly changed back into one of awestruck, lovestruck giddiness. She even giggled as he gently kissed her knuckles. Although she was still only Ms. Teschmacher, she dreamed of the day when she would become Mrs. Luthor!

So while Eve giggled at Lex, Lex and Otis continued to watch with smiles as the front of the White House went down in flames, bodies and stupid old picket signs fueling the fire.

"Didn't I tell you those little old signs wouldn't do anything to further their cause?" Lex asked.

"You sure did, boss!" Otis guffawed. "It only furthered OUR cause!"

"Yes," Lex nodded cruelly. "Yes indeed it did." and the trio continued to watch happily as their world burned.

"Look out, Earth, a new world order has finally arrived…"

But while the rest of the country and world was in a volatile turmoil, Kara remained in quiet and stagnant despair.

"Even in its final moments, even as it took its dying breath, even as it went up in an inferno, Krypton was a thousand times safer than Earth," the young alien murmured despondently, unseeing as she stared out the window. She was sitting in the living room of her home, the TV off. In the kitchen, Eliza and Jeremiah were watching her worriedly, trying to think of some way to bring her some sort of comfort. Nothing came to them. Alex sat beside her, saying nothing as she caressed Kara's back. But even Alex's love, care and support was useless. Kara was just too broken and afraid to do more than stare. All those aliens. All those dissections. All the dead. And nothing was going to stop it. The Luthor's new world order was finally complete. The world had been completely and eternally changed by him, and he had accomplished all of his goals.


	12. Chapter 11: Rebellion

Chapter 11: Rebellion

"Ms. Danvers? My office," the principal of Midvale Middle spoke to Kara, voice soft but firm. In another time, Kara might've been terrified at the prospect of needing to go to the principal's office, but now?

"Yes sir," her voice was empty, as were her eyes, and she obediently walked towards the principal's outstretched hand, face sullen as each step seemed to weigh a million pounds upon her. The principal cocked an eyebrow, unused to seeing such a long face on one of the school's brightest (emotionally and intellectually) students. But here she was, looking dreary, despondent, depressed and defeated.

He welcomed the sullen, miserable girl into his office and over to his desk.

"Ms. Danvers," he began. "It has come to my attention that your grades are slipping. Some of your teachers have filed reports to me that talk about your academic failings and several behavioral misdemeanours. Would you please shed some light on what is the matter? You used to be one of my top students! What's eating at you now?" there was nothing but compassion, understanding and openness in his voice as he tried to gently coax an explanation out of Kara. Kara, meanwhile, could only sigh, finding it laborious just to answer his question.

"It's nothing, sir, nothing serious at least," she began tiredly, miserably. "I've just been worrying over all of these attacks and raids over the past couple of months."

"Ah," the principal nodded sagely. "Lex's presidency has been quite… exciting, has it not?"

"I don't know if "exciting" is the word I would've used, sir," Kara muttered. If the principal had heard her, he chose not to address this remark and instead focus back on Kara's slipping grades.

"I understand what a volatile time we are going through right now," he began sympathetically. "But I implore you to keep your head held high. You are too bright, too smart, too full of potential to let it all waste away now in the face of danger. If there is any help that I or anyone else at the school can offer you, please don't hesitate to ask for it. Reach out! And we will answer. I promise!"

His words were sincere, but they rung hollowly in Kara's ears. Reach out? Yeah right. Hadn't she been taught that hiding was the only way to survive in a world like this? And helping? Forget it! Unless the principal could somehow destroy Lex and all of his anti-alien ideas and supporters, there was nothing he could do to help.

Heck, she couldn't even confess to him the real root of her problem, or else she'd out herself as an alien to him! What normal human got _that _worked up by alien dissection, unless the person in question either was an alien, or who knew someone that was? Either way, it would've been a huge risk for Kara to come clean to her principal, so she didn't. She didn't reach out. She didn't ask for help. She just stayed quiet. Once again, Kara found it safer to suffer in silence, than risk reaching out and outing herself, even to someone as kind, gentle and understanding as the principal.

The only good thing to come out of all the turmoil was the fact that people were finally stepping up their game and starting to organize a full-scale rebellion against Lex Luthor. It was no longer random protests or riots. It was a highly-refined, highly-organized, highly-skilled, highly-run rebellion. And quite a few people were in on it, militarizing themselves or training in order to actually stand a chance against Lex in combat. They really were taking this new rebellion seriously! But it still wasn't large, stable, powerful or popular enough to stand against Lex, so for the time being, it continued to operate in the shadows.

"I should be home by now, someone will come for me," Kara whispered to herself as she sat alone on the roof of her house, staring brokenly into the night sky. Even though the heavens were beautiful, aglow with magnificent stars, Kara could only stare at them with longing. There was no wonder in her eyes anymore, just sorrow and desire.

"I wish I could just fly away from here!" she muttered sadly, but such dreams were impossible. Although she likely could fly all the way up to outer space, she had nowhere to go once she reached the stars. She had no friends or allies with whom she could travel, and she had no other planet in mind to go to. So even if she made it safely off of Earth without being seen, she had nowhere else to go once she left the atmosphere.

For all intents and purposes, then, Kara was still very much a prisoner of Earth, just as much as any other human or alien that disliked Lex was. The thought scared her like no other, but because the fear had become so common within her life, it was finally slipping away into nothing but raw despair of the highest, emptiest degree. Now, she felt nothing. No fear, no sadness, no hope, nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

The next day at school did not go much better.

"Hey, Kara!" it was Lena. She waved at the Kryptonian.

"Lena!" Kara put on a very fake, very forced smile as the young Luthor ran over to her. Although Kara was still very fond of Lena, and although Lena had been nothing but good, kind, supportive and friendly, her last name was really starting to mess with Kara's head and Kara no longer felt… safe around her, as unfair as that judgement was. But it was true! Lex had become such a nightmare for Kara that even hearing the name "Luthor" gave her a minor rush of anxiety. This meant that, unfortunately, every time Lena was near, Kara's guard and walls went up.

"There you are!" the Luthor continued to smile, totally blind to how uncomfortable she was making Kara. "I've been looking all over for you, I've been worried about you! Where have you been? It's been so long since the last time we've seen each other!"

"Oh, uhhhh, well, I was sick," Kara lied lamely.

"Oh, you were?" Lena's nose crinkled with sympathy.

"Well, I'm feeling much better now!" Kara gave her a weak thumbs up.

"Ah, good to know!" Lena bought her lie easily. "In any case, I hope to see you in science class today?"

"Of course! We are lab partners after all," Kara whimpered, giving Lena a pained grin. Lena's face lit up, delighted that Kara remembered, and she nodded enthusiastically before retreating back down the hall.

"Gotta go to my locker! But see you in science class!" she cried out as she jogged back off, waving farewell as she did so. Kara waved back at her, but the moment she'd rounded a corner, Kara's face fell.

Although Kara was still very fond of Lena, her paranoia was twisting their relationship, and Kara found herself avoiding Lena as much as possible, cruel as this was of her. But it just made her uneasy, knowing that she was such close friends with a Luthor, of all people. And she had caught Lena talking about some of her favorite films, and each of them had less-than-subtle anti-alien messages. That wasn't exactly a comforting thing for someone like Kara to hear: that one of her best friends liked rather anti-alien movies. Even if Lena herself was pro-alien, as she so claimed whenever she disavowed her brother's crazy politics, the fact that she still seemed to be on good terms with him, as well as the fact that she enjoyed anti-alien movies, made her a little more than unsettling in Kara's sharp eyes.

"I can't believe it!" Alex thundered angrily during English class that day.

"What's wrong?" Kara asked, sounding so unhappy that her tone was unnaturally low and flat.

"Those sick twisted monsters, Felicity Smoak, Sara Lance, Thea Queen, Barry Allen and Caitlin Snow are all trying to have some sort of stupid, fancy demonstration this weekend to sing Lex's praises!" Alex was nearly red-faced with outrage as she continued to curse her ex-friends' names. Kara, meanwhile, only heaved a sad sigh. She couldn't really say that she was surprised anymore. Her hometown was no longer the sleepy little place it used to be. Instead, it was a hotbed for political activity and uprising. It was one of the most volatile places in the country, and there didn't seem to be any escape from it, no matter where she turned.

The very next day, Alex managed to rally up enough students to carry out a successful weeklong boycott of the school, threatening to actively skip class every day until Felicity Smoak, Sara Lance, Thea Queen, Barry Allen and Caitlin Snow were all banned from putting on their little Lex party. As one may have expected, the protest ended in a small scale riot with Felicity Smoak, Sara Lance, Thea Queen, Barry Allen and Caitlin Snow screaming about being attacked while Alex and her boycotting friends were all but forced back into school by cops and parents both.

"Vive la révolution!" Alex bellowed.

"Vive la révolution!" all of the protestors echoed, Lena and Kara included. Fists were raised high in the air as young voices continued to scream out their anger, pain, fear, grief, frustration and desire for rebellion. In exchange, the rebels were called "Earth Traitors" and "Enemies of the State" and "Traitors to Their Country", but none of them cared, and they continued to boycott school and rant and rave in their anger.

It was a nonviolent act, but it was so disruptive and the boycott lasted so long that cops were still called, and Alex was punished for being the riot's ringleader, not that too many people actually disagreed with her.

"We're actually quite proud of you," Eliza admitted with a dry smile as her older daughter was escorted home in a cop car. "But we won't be able to celebrate until later," she added with a wink, and Alex returned the look before pretending to look down at her feet in shame, apologizing to the cop for disrupting the entire town.

"I'm sorry my peaceful protest made you angry enough to consider it a violent demonstration," she grunted. "I'm sorry you took my use of my rights as an annoyance and a threat enough to send a police squad after me. I'm sorry you think I was being immature and trying to skip school instead of make a point about equality."

And even though her apology was very passive-aggressive, the cop could only accept it and leave, but not before catching the smirk on the oldest Danver sister's face. Kara had never loved her sister quite as much as she did in that moment, and Lena, who was with them at the time, looked just as impressed and proud. It was the first time Kara had smiled in a very long time, and that made Alex prouder than any rebellion ever could have. Even if their boycott had finally been broken, they had still won a small victory, and that was worth the world to all of them. Kara's smile, in Alex's mind, was the greatest victory of all that week.

Lex, meanwhile, was living it up in the White House. His reign was in full swing by this point, and he was beyond pleased with the dissections of the aliens, keeping meticulous count over every single one of them, possessing a dated recording of every last dissection to ever occur, starting all the way back when his sick, twisted law first went into place. He still faced a daily slew of bad press and protestors, but he was so skilled at avoiding it all that all the screaming and angry protestors outside were practically part of the White House scenery by now! All the riots and protests and rebellion? They were useless against him!

And best of all, in Lex's crazy eyes, he'd found a loophole in the constitution that allowed him to run for far more than two mere terms as president. It was his intention to use that loophole until every single little last alien on Earth was dead, and the planet was reduced to possessing humans and humans alone. He would restore the purity of the Earth and make sure that it was mankind who reigned supreme. Until that day came, then, he would run for president over and over and over again. There would be no end to his power or his rule!


	13. Chapter 12: One Little Slip

Chapter 12: One Little Slip

School finally let out (for real this time) and summer descended upon Kara's hometown. Despite all the gloom and doom that was being caused by the country's current president, there was something so warm and merry about summer that even the most miserable, hopeless and afraid of people couldn't help but lighten up (physically and emotionally). Kara was amongst this blessed number, feeling rejuvenated by the prospect of having an entire summer to relax, explore and play. For the first time in a long time, she felt happy, and excited.

"WHAT TIME IS IT?!" Alex bellowed playfully as school let out for the very last time.

"SUMMER TIME!" her peers echoed back in song, and although Kara had no idea what was going on, she joined in all the fun and laughter as students flooded the gates out. She and Alex raced through a throng of other eager, smiling students, all of them practically racing to be the first one to taste the summer sun.

"FREEDOM!" Kara heard one of her peers scream as he made it outside and she laughed at him, feeling just as young and careless and free.

The entire summer passed beautifully. Kara got to travel and explore and she was finally able to be free and happy. Her depression lightened considerably as she and her foster family took a little trip to some of the nearby states in order to explore and allow Kara the chance to see life outside of their tiny hometown. And all the while, Kara and Alex grew even closer.

Eliza had once joked that they if they grew any closer, they would be at risk of physically merging together! Kara had been horrified at the idea until Alex explained that such a thing didn't actually happen and that their mom was just making a stupid joke. This relieved Kara quite a bit, and she continued on enjoying her glorious first summer with her beloved foster family at her side.

But it wasn't even just the Danvers that Kara grew closer to. She even managed to mend her bond with Lena, the summer sun making her feel happy and trusting again.

"Sorry I've been so distant lately!" Kara apologized as she went over to visit Lena.

"It's ok," Lena replied easily. "I know how the end of school can get!"

"Yeah, but now that it's all behind us, do you wanna hang out with Alex and I?" Kara asked eagerly and Lena nodded, eyes brightening up at the prospect. She took Kara's proffered hand with a smile and all but dragged Kara back outside to meet up with Alex at the town's pool. Any misgivings between the two were gone and Kara had gone back to trusting Lena completely, a fact which relieved both of the girls immensely.

"I've missed you!" Lena declared as she and Kara swum around the town pool

"And I you," Kara smiled back fondly before playfully splashing her.

"Hey!" Lena pretended to shriek in disgust before splashing Kara right back. A playfully little back-and-forth ensued between the reunited friends until Alex came along.

"CANNON BALL!" she bellowed before jumping into the pool, narrowly missing Kara and Lena, both of whom had shrieked and dived out of the way at the very last second.

"Alex! You jerk!" Kara pouted as all three of them resurfaced. Alex only responded by spitting some water into Kara's face, an action which earned a laugh from Lena. The old trio was reunited once more and things could've have been going better.

Which was a bad thing because, one day, Kara decided to grab some ice cream. She had been coming back from a walk in the park with Lena when she decided to make a pitstop on the way home at the local Dairy Queen. She, literally, zipped in and out of the store, going in and then emerging with an ice cream cone all in literally five seconds. She giggled to herself, ecstatic and enlivened by the feeling of getting to use her superhuman abilities once again.

Although it was practically a law in her eyes to NEVER reveal her superpowers, she had been feeling a bit giddy and cocky that day and figured that a five-second dash wouldn't hurt. For a time, this proved correct, but eventually, that little stunt managed to catch up to her, and then, it ran even faster than she ever could. It was one little slip, but sometimes the smallest of mistakes were the most fatal.

When school started up again a couple months later, so did all the drama and politics. They had never truly gone away, but the summer had managed to nullify some of their effects. Now that everything was back in business once again, though, heated and passionate debates about alien rights rose up again. This time, though, Kara felt brave and strong. She no longer felt despondent or scared. She felt ready and willing to fight.

It was as if the summer sun had burned a permanent mark of courage onto her heart, and now she was far more active and vocal in her local politics than ever before, and she vowed that she would never ever go back to being the sniveling, cowering, crying, frightened little mouse she used to be. Instead, she, alongside all of her loyal friends, continued to protest for alien rights, standing up against all of the dangers and toils and snares that Lex and his politics could make. Kara wasn't afraid anymore, and as far as she was concerned, she never would be again!

"Wow! Lena! What is this?" Kara walked into school one day to see the Luthor sitting at a table just inside the school doors. On the table were boxes and boxes of pastries.

"Fundraiser for alien shelters and the deconstruction of all of Lex's evil laws," Lena replied proudly, gesturing for Kara to take a look at what she was selling. All around, other students were eagerly observing Lena and her goods, some of them occasionally making a purchase, much to the envy of all their friends without money.

"Lena! This is amazing!" Kara breathed and Lena grinned smugly back.

"I told you I didn't agree with my brother's politics!" she cried and any doubt Kara had ever had about the young Luthor died right then and there.

And the rest of the world continued on with little rebellions of their own. All the aliens still hiding away in the USA were privately being sent over the borders to other countries across the globe that were offering asylum. There were times when Kara and her family considered trying to move Kara on out of the country as well, but it involved a lot of time, effort, money and planning, so any plans to send Kara away were all only speculative. It would take at least a year to get everything finalized, so there was no rush on anyone's part.

"I'm kind of glad," Kara confessed one day. "Because if I did move out, I'd have to leave all of you behind!" she gestured gratefully to her foster family and they did not hesitate to take her in their arms and hold her tight. For once, life was good.

By the time Halloween rolled around, however, that one little slip of Kara's finally reared its ugly head. Lex had since made it mandatory for all aliens to be registered as such. And as such, it became the legal obligation of figures of power within the country to report any and all aliens under their jurisdiction. In Kara's case, this meant that all of her teachers and school staff would've been legally obligated to report her secret identity to Lex. It was then that she really thanked her lucky stars that she had kept her secret so well.

"No one knows!" she told herself happily. "And no one ever will, so I am safe!" But she wasn't. Not even close.

"Ms. Danvers? My office," the principal of Midvale Middle spoke to Kara, voice soft but firm. In another time, Kara might've been terrified at the prospect of needing to go to the principal's office, but now?

"Yes sir," her voice was calm, relaxed and totally unsuspecting. She almost sashayed into the principal's office, certain that he only had good news to tell her because, as of this year, her track and academic records had been perfect. There was no reason for him to be mad at her, so she wasn't even a little bit concerned. At least until she noticed the two large goons standing behind him, all clad in black and toting guns.

"Who are they?" Kara asked, just a tiny note of fear creeping into her voice.

"They? Uhhh, yes, uhh, they are a new part of our staff now," the principal sounded distracted.

"Well, what have you brought me in for?" she asked. Even though the soldiers wore solid black masks that concealed their faces, Kara could feel it that they were glaring at her.

"They wished to have a word with you," the principal wiped his sweaty brow as he gestured to the large men.

"They? Would do they want with m-" Kara didn't even have the chance to blink before she was suddenly on the ground and writhing in pain. She couldn't even scream because of how much it hurt. She could only convulse, tears streaming down her face as the pain continued to grow. She could feel large, heavy, solid objects colliding with her face over and over and over again.

_Stop! Stop! STOP! _She thought, but there was no mercy to be found anywhere. Just pain. Endless pain. Raining down on her like hailstones, or bullets. Pain. Endless pain. Punches and kicks that normally wouldn't have affected her. Now all she could do was lie there in pain and take it. Sharp pain. Hard pain. Bruising pain. Blistering pain. Sharp pain followed by dull, throbbing pain. Pain that was sure to be leaving a mark, a scar. Pain consistent and repetitive. Over and over again. She began to feel fuzzy with pain, then that fuzziness took total control of her being until it was all she was aware of, until she was aware of nothing at all.


	14. Chapter 13: Truth Will Out

Chapter 13: Truth Will Out

The next time Kara woke up, she was in a totally gray room, only one harsh light illuminating the area. It was poised right over her like a spotlight, hot and blinding. She blinked and flinched, trying to escape its fierce glare, but it was then that she realized she was totally immobile. And naked. And lying on her back. Strapped down. And weak. And paralyzed. Just like her nightmares!

Kara's eyes shot open at once, all weariness and discomfort gone in a flash, replaced by blind panic. She began to thrash and scream and cry, fighting against her steel shackles and accomplishing nothing except screaming herself hoarse and causing her throat to burn and her arms to bleed. Wait. Bleed? Kryptonians didn't-

"On Gold K, they do," a slick and sickly voice grinned, seeming to have read her mind. Even though Kara had been screaming at the time, sobbing, she still heard that voice and twisted her head around until she met two cruel eyes. Attached to them was a cruel and horrific face that had only ever haunted her dreams and TV screen until this moment. It was none other than-

"Lex Luthor!"

"Ah, ah, ah! That's "Mr. President" to you," he waggled a mocking finger in her face.

"No, no, NO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" she began to thrash again, efforts redoubled as she ignored the blood gushing out of her wrists in order to keep on tugging at her restraints.

"Oh now really, Kara Danvers, I think you would've gotten through your head the first time that you cannot escape this prison anymore. Not now that all of your powers are gone," he singsonged as he held up a glowing golden syringe, but Kara was more distracted by the realization that he knew her name as opposed to the fact that was currently waving the power-sucking Golden Kryptonite in front of her.

"How did you know my-?" she began hoarsely, but before she could finish, Kara heard shoes clacking against the cold tile floor. She tilted her head and widened her mouth and eyes in horror.

"Lena Luthor?!"

"Sorry, not sorry," the younger Luthor singsonged sweetly as she stepped onto the scene, arms crossed and face smug. Lex looked pleased and proud as she walked closer to hover braggingly over Kara.

"How long?!" Kara managed to snarl through her terror and tears.

"Forever," Lena replied calmly. "But don't worry, it was nothing personal," she snickered, smirking a little as she said this, as though that reassurance would actually make Kara feel any better. If anything, it only made her feel worse. Not only had Lena just betrayed her, but she had also admitted that her entire friendship with Kara had been nothing but a lie. Then it hit Kara…

"Wait. YOU did this! YOU told them!" she hissed, thrashing once again against her binds, only this time, it was anger that fueled her actions and not panic. "HOW?!" she demanded. "HOW?! TELL ME!"

"Ok, ok, sheesh! No need to get your panties in a bunch!" Lena snickered, pretending to be disapproving of Kara's little outburst, then she explained…

Lena was a Luthor through and through, but Lex had been the only one to ever look upon her with any kindness at all. He had been the only one to truly appreciate what she had the capacity to do. Because of that, Lena loved Lex more than anything else in the entire universe. She adored him, and he doted upon her. In a mutualistic relationship, the brother-sister duo became an unstoppable force, and they spent their entire lives together, doing literally everything with each other. Every evil scheme Lex had ever created or completed had been aided in some way by Lena as well. As such, she became the true apple of his eye, and the true right-hand (wo)man in all of his major operations. This presidency gig was no exception.

Lex had intentionally made it seem as though he and Lena were not close. That way, while he worked on the anti-alien side of things, Lena could masquerade as an alien sympathizer and work on Lex's enemies' side. It was a perfect double-cross operation that worked every single time, allowing the Luthors to always be everywhere all at once, and completely in control of all sides to this game. While Lex took the home front, Lena traveled. But they were never far apart, and it had been Lex who asked Lena to go to Midvale in the first place.

After Kara's pod touched down in Midvale and after Lex set his eyes upon it, he sent Lena out to go find the alien that had been inside.

"I have the pod!" he had grinned. "But I want the alien that used to be inside of it! If the readings on the inside of the pod are anything to go by, the alien has godlike powers! And I want it!"

"Yes, Lex," Lena replied with an obedient, charming little smile as she curtseyed to her older brother. His madness did not scare her. Instead, she reveled in it, and worshipped him, admiring him for all of his crazy antics and dreams. In her eyes, they were not the mark of a monster, but of a misunderstood genius!

"Go, then!" he commanded, hissing eagerly. "Go out to Midvale and scout around! Try to find the alien who once inhabited this pod! Once you find it, report back to me immediately!" and from that day forward, Lena had been your typical average Midvale inhabitant.

From the start, Lena had played up the good-girl charming, using all of her natural beauty and wit to win the hearts and minds of every last fool in the town. She played up the nerdier aspect of herself and tried to dress down as normally and meekly as possible. It worked like a charm and, in no time flat, she was just another normal face in the crowd.

All along, though, nothing could've been further from the truth. Lena was just as anti-alien as her brother, and she was just as sadistic and violent as he was too. She had celebrated when he managed to get his dissection law passed, even though, of course, she pretended to despair it instead. The moment everyone's back was turned, however, the true Luthor came out, in all of her cold, cruel, calculating and conniving ways.

The only other people in the town to know were the three girls who had come with her for the trip, those three having been the children of some of Lex's closest allies. They had come to help Lena in her act, and they had come to help keep her company, as well as assist with her mission. But intentionally, they remained as faceless, invisible and neutral as possible.

While Lena was meant to paint herself up as an alien activist, they were meant to stay in the shadows, existing solely as tools and companions for her to use at her disposal. They followed these instructions well and remained relatively unknown throughout their entire stay at Midvale. It was why the Danvers were never close to them even though they had been close to Lena. The three other girls were told not to make friends and to stay apart, so they did, and it worked out perfectly.

But even though the rest of the town mostly ignored them, Lena certainly did not.

"So, guess what I just found out," the young Luthor hissed grimly, handing her phone to her three friends. They all crowded around it and marveled and awed at the video unfolding before them on the screen. It was only 10 seconds long, but 10 seconds was all that was needed.

"Ooooh!" they shrilled, voices obnoxiously high and loud. The video had been of Kara Danvers and her one little slip, her one little mistake, her fatal error.

"I knew it!" one of the girls, Jamie, screeched.

"Kara was an alien this whole time!" Josie sounded just as hysterical.

"I can't believe she would do something so stupid!" Daisy agreed, cackling as she watched the video on loop.

"C'mon, give it back!" Lena snapped before yanking her phone back out of Daisy's hands. "But you are right," she admitted. "Kara was stupid to do such a thing. But oh well, her loss!"

"I just can't believe the Danvers hid her so well for so long! Heavens knows I would never!" Jamie put a hand to her chest in dramatic fashion, pretending to swoon in horror.

"Of course you wouldn't, numbskull, you're anti alien!" Daisy humphed, obviously mad at Lena for taking away her entertainment source.

"No duh, stupid, we all are!" Jamie spat back.

"Alright, enough, girls!" Lena raised her hands for silence and, like magic, her three stooges shut up.

"It doesn't matter what did or didn't happen. What matters now is that we got it all on tape!"

"Ahhh, you're right!" the three grinned wickedly. "Now that goody-goody is gonna get what's coming to her!" Daisy sounded beyond delighted. "Ooooh, I simply cannot wait to see Kara's dissection! What a smarty-two-shoes she is! It'll be fun to see her go."

"Whatever, Daisy," Lena rolled her eyes disdainfully. "All aliens deserve to be dissected, it's all that they're good for! If they're going to flee their own planets, they obviously weren't worth much before. What about coming to Earth suddenly makes them so precious and valuable?" Lena spat out those last three words.

"Nothing!" Jamie and Josie shrilled, laughing heartily all over again.

"Yeah! You're right! They deserve to be dissected! Every last one of them!" Jamie nodded cruelly.

"So, when are you gonna tell on her?!" Josie singsonged excitedly.

"Soon, Josie, soon!" Lena hissed. "But I need to contact Lex first, tell him what I found."

"Oh! Why wait? He'll find out soon enough!" Josie protested impatiently.

"Because he asked me directly," Lena replied sharply, biting out every single word as she took several steps closer to Josie until their noses were only inches apart. Josie gulped nervously. Even though Lena was the smallest of them all, she was also the most powerful and the most terrifying, especially with Lex at her disposal.

"Lex made me promise to tell him about this alien before I told anybody else, and if you want to go and tell him that you tried to get me to break my vow, be my guest. But I can't imagine that he'd be too thrilled by that!" Lena continued to threaten while Josie shrunk away from her, visibly trembling.

"I guess you're right," she squeaked.

"Of course I am," Lena replied frostily. "Of course I am," and neither Jamie nor Daisy dared to protest either.

Lena made good on her word, then, to contact Lex.

"I found it! I found the alien from the pod!" she muttered over the phone.

"Excellent!" he hissed. "Tell me where it is! Tell me who it is!"

"Her name is Kara Danvers, and she is a friend and classmate of mine," Lena replied with a sadistic smile slowly spreading across her face. On the other end of the line, Lex's face was doing the same thing.

"Excellent!" he hissed again, then he demanded more information. "Tell me more about this… Kara Danvers..." and Lena was more than happy to oblige.

Once that call was done, then, Lena resumed her conversation with her three allies.

"What did he say? What are you gonna do?" they asked eagerly once Lena got off the phone with her brother.

"He's sending me a shipment of Gold Kryptonite," she replied. "Kara Danvers is a Kryptonian and Kryptonite is her only weakness. The gold stuff will remove her powers, which will make it easier for us to capture her!"

"And then dissect her!" Josie butted in excitedly and Lena nodded, eyes half shut, already reveling in Kara's dying screams. These new few day were gonna be fun!

Once the shipment came in, Lena wasted no time confronting one of the more anti-alien teachers around.

"Mr. Thorul," she began. "I have some very important news that I think will be most interesting to you!" and then the rest was history as she handed him her phone, the video clip up and ready to watch.

Not long after that, Mr. Thorul quickly notified the proper authorities about the matter at hand and cops were quickly dispatched to the area, come to retrieve Ms. Kara Danvers at the behest of President Luthor himself. With the Gold K in their hands, all Lena needed to do was sit back and watch the fireworks, and oh did they deliver! Now here they were, just a few short later.

"You! I can't believe you!" Kara continued to thrash against her chains, but it still did nothing.

"Oh well, what can you say? All's well that ends well!" Lena sung.

"But it _didn't _end well!" Kara shot back angrily. "It didn't even start well, according to you!"

"Oh, well, all's fair in love and war, then, I guess," she shrugged, unbothered by Kara's fury. "I mean, I would say that it has been nice knowing you, but it hasn't. So, toodle-loo!" she waved her fingers at Kara before skipping merrily out of the room. Lex, who had been watching in silent amusement the whole time, finally spoke up again, laughter in his voice.

"Well, well well. My, my, my. Truth will out, won't it, Ms. Danvers?" he crooned, but Kara stubbornly remained silent. Lex pretended to tsk disappointedly. "Oh, don't do this to me, Kara Danvers. Don't try to fight me and don't pretend you can't hear me. It's a tedious old game that will do no one any good. Your time is up and that is that. Nothing you do, from here on out, matters any more. Your story and life is over, meanwhile, mine is only just beginning. Now, where were we?... Oh! Right! Yes! Well! Please tell me, Ms. Danvers, do you bleed?"


	15. Final Chapter: The Final Lesson

Chapter 14: The Final Lesson

In the distance, a bell suddenly went off.

"Ah! Class is about to begin! Here comes your final lesson, Ms. Danvers! Let's see how much you've learned about Alien-American culture in this past year..." Lex gave a cruel cackle as, suddenly, a swarm of students ran into the room. It was just like in Kara's nightmare, except infinitely worse. The lights seemed too bright, the straps were too tight, the students were too loud. Everything was just too much and Kara felt herself overloading, but by then, all she could do was lie there and sob, helpless and hopeless.

That was when Lena, with Eve and Otis, returned. Lena was rolling in a table full of razor sharp tools, and Otis and Eve were bringing in camera equipment. Shame burned through Kara's entire being. So, not only was she going to be slowly ripped apart alive after all she'd been through, but it was going to be televised. She could only hope and pray that her foster family wouldn't ever see it. She didn't think she could stand it if they were forced to watch. She gave Lena, Eve and Otis a despairing look, silently pleading for mercy, but none came. Instead, Lena only proudly sauntered over to her brother's side while Eve and Otis hurriedly set up the TV equipment, matching sadistic smiles upon their faces.

"Please!" Kara gasped through tears as Lena pushed the tool table over to her side. "I am not an animal to be dissected!" but Lena only scoffed coldly and shook her head.

"Yes you are! You're an animal! Not a human at all!" she snarled coldly. "Don't you forget it that nearly the entire human race despises your kind," she threatened. "We hate aliens!"

"But this is inhumane and evil!" Kara continued to beg and sob, searching for any sign of the old best friend she used to have in the youngest Luthor. That girl was no longer there. She never was.

"This is perfectly humane, Kara," Lena replied instead, voice uncharacteristically cold and harsh (or was it characteristic after all? Since she had never ever truly been Kara's friend). "Remember, this was a law signed in by the president himself! The law states that aliens are subhuman beings and are not on the same level as humans. They are not even on the same level as dogs and cats. They are inferior creatures and, because they are not human, they do not deserve humans rights. Humaneness applies only to humans, which you are not!" the youngest Luthor finished with a proud toss of her hair, looking quite pleased with herself.

"But I am still a living being!" Kara continued to try and plead. "Human or alien or animal, I am still a living being! Why would you ever want to dissect me like a frog?!"

"It's the new law," Lena repeated with an uncaring shrug. "It's perfectly humane."

"NO!" Kara bellowed in agony, terror and grief. "ALL OF YOU ARE MAD SCIENTISTS! MONSTERS! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?! I WAS YOUR FRIEND! I AM INNOCENT! YOU ARE ABOUT TO KILL A HUMAN BEING!"

"No," Lena sing-songed sweetly. "We are about to kill an animal!"

The despair Kara felt was indescribable and all she could do was lie there and scream and cry, calling out to her family and friends, begging for them to rescue her, praying for some miracle to save her. Of course, no answer came. Instead, when Kara realized that the classroom had gone silent, dread unmatched began to fill her heart. She could almost feel the seconds she had left slipping away from her. Then, the final lesson began.

In the distance, she was aware of Lex staring his lecture, speaking about alien morphology, but Kara was so panicked that she had no idea what he was saying. It sounded strange, like listening to him talk underwater. She could hear him, but she couldn't understand what he was saying. She trembled violently, then she was suddenly aware of them, of all of them, leaning forward in their seats. Lex, Eve and Lena were suddenly at her side, leaning over her with matching sadistic grins.

"No, no, nonononononono!" Kara whimpered, groveling for her life, but her soft pleas got her nowhere. Instead, within seconds, they became high-pitched shrieks of agony as the live dissection began.

"Lights, camera, action!" Otis thundered a few feet away, then suddenly, all eyes were on Kara Zor-El, and everything inside of her body.

The rest of Kara's life was spent in a wild, frantic haze, a blur of activity and sights and sounds and pain. It was a complete sensory overload and all she was aware of was pain. Endless and to the highest degree. Pain. Nothing but pain. She screamed herself hoarse until she could only gag, mouth impossibly wide as silent screams ripped their way out of her open chest and open throat. Even though her brain was on total lockdown, aware only of the burning agony of a live dissection, every blade hissing across her skin with sharp, stinging precision, she could still somehow make out blurry faces in the whirl of chaos that surrounded her mind.

Kenny Li, Rick Malverne, Vicki Donahue, Josie, Barry Allen, Caitlin Snow, Ralph Dibny, Cecille Horton, Oliver Queen, Felicity Smoak, Roy Harper, Alena Whitlock, Sara Lance, Ray Palmer, Thea Queen, Lena Luthor, Jamie Sullivan, Josie Marchi, Daisy Wong, all of them, all watching with interest, as Kara was ripped open and peeled apart, piece by piece. The rest of the world was watching too, videos going up all over the internet of Kara's grisly demise. It was broadcasted worldwide to all TV stations and it was being live-streamed everywhere.

Two hours later, it was finally, mercifully over. The final lesson was complete. Kara Zor-El was no more and the very last of her life was finally ripped away from her mangled body. She heaved her last, labored breath before her eyes (or rather, _eye, _one of them having been removed during the dissection) finally glazed over in death. The last of her life left her body with one final breath and the torture finally ended. Her last sight was of Lex and Lena's leering faces as they held her organs in their bloodstained hands. Her last sounds were of the fascinated and sadistic hisses from the people watching her being slowly torn apart until there was nothing left, not even a spirit. Then, she was gone.

"Well done, Ms. Danvers, well done indeed. You have learned your lessons very well! You pass the class," Lex disposed of her body parts piece by piece, a gleeful grin etched across his fearsome visage. Otis, Eve and Lena helped him do the dirty work with matching smiles of satisfaction. Kara Zor-El was no more.

To Be Continued with Bad Ending or Bittersweet Ending


	16. Downer Ending

**Downer Ending:**

Kara's dissection did not end quickly. On the contrary, Lex dragged it out as long as possible. Then, fueled by sheer spite alone, even after poor Kara had already halfway slipped over the brink of death, he dragged her back to life again and carried her away in secret in order to continue to keep her alive as long as humanly (and Kryptonian) possible, just so that he could torture her even more.

After fully healing Kara and bringing her back to life, Lex injected her with a plethora of other types of Kryptonite. He slowly robbed her of all of her powers until she was even weaker than the average human, but he still wasn't done. Even though he intentionally brought her down to a human level, and then even slightly below, he still did his best to keep her alive as long as possible. Because of that, her torment was able to continue on for an insanely and graphically long time.

Decades on end, Kara stayed strapped to that operation table, body spread wide open for all to see. By that time, though, Kara had been so thoroughly broken that her mind was in total lockdown and as Hellish as her circumstances were, it all meant nothing to her anymore and she was hardly aware of anything, even the endless and agonizing pain of being slowly ripped open every. Single. Day. Of. Her. Life. It just became another cog in Lex's cruel machinery, and she reacted to nothing anymore. She was more dead than alive now.

The rest of the world finally engaged in yet another world war. This time, though, Lex did not care. Having completed the very task he set out to do (remove all aliens from Earth) he fled underground and let the humans sort themselves out. His twisted and glorious dreams of raising the human race above all others had warped into selfish dreams of petty revenge and control. He no longer cared about the good of mankind. Now all he wanted was revenge, against aliens, for all of their alleged grievances against him. He didn't want to raise humanity up anymore, he just wanted to tear aliens down. So he did. Every single day, for the rest of his life.

While the real world tore itself apart and blew itself up into smithereens, Lex stayed safely hidden away with the rest of his family in a remote and untraceable part of the world. Thanks to his cunning and foresight, they had enough supplies to live comfortably in that bunker for the rest of their lives. While the rest of the world burned around them, the Luthors danced in the warm glow of the flames, triumphant. Poor Kara was forced to endure it all. While the rest of the outside world either died or moved on without her, she remained a dissection tool to the Luthors, who never got tired of tearing her apart piece by piece. Not that she cared anymore, hardly aware of anything at all.

Eventually, Lex dared to send a copy of one of Kara's latest dissections to the Danvers family. Although they had long-since guessed what had become of Kara, to be tricked into actually watching it happen sent them all over the brink of despair. All three of them eventually committed suicide. Jeremiah shot himself, Eliza succumbed to grief and essentially starved to death, and Alex began engaging in risky behaviors without a care in the world. She was nearly struck by a car when she chose to recklessly go jogging down a highway, but what really did her in was when she boldly strode through a more dangerous city and intentionally provoked a local gang into killing her. All of the Danvers were now dead. Except Kara. Who was still alive with the Luthors, hidden away and completely untraceable, fit only to be dissected over and over and over again for all time.

Kara's body was never found. She was never properly laid to rest like all the other alien dissection victims were. The Luthors continued to thrive in their secret base, untouchable and free, totally separate from the rest of the warring, dying world. Their supporters and enemies alike died, and every town across the world was ravished by war, including Midvale, where it all began, which was little more than smoking ruins at this point. The Luthors were never found and never found guilty and lived out the rest of their lives happily, ceasing to dissect Kara only when the very last of them finally passed. This was Lena, the very last Luthor.

"Guess this is it, huh Kara?" she croaked, an ancient woman now, skin wrinkly and hair white. "Guess it's finally over for us. Time to take our final bow, old friend," she said, then she pulled the plug on Kara's life support, though Kara had already stopped responding decades ago. The two of them died together, Kara's literally broken heart finally heaving its final beat right as Lena's breath slipped out from her lungs one last time, her lungs too weak to take in another breath. Then together, they slipped away into the afterlife, their bodies still locked away in that secret bunker, never to be found or seen again.


	17. Bittersweet Ending

**Bittersweet Ending**:

The day after Kara Zor-El had been dissected, a mass-protest that spanned the entire globe began. Aliens and their Pro-Alien allies started riots in every major city in the world, screaming out against the inhumanity of the dissections, crying out for justice, compassion and empathy for the creatures that the world had dubbed as inferior to humans. They continued to rail against the cruelty of the dissections, calling them legalized murders and demanding vengeance for all the aliens who had already been slaughtered on operating tables, Kara Zor-El amongst that ghastly number.

Nearly 200 million Americans demanded the impeachment for President Lex Luthor, insisting that he deserved to be locked away for life for his crimes against humanity. Countless countries across the globe finally began militarizing and allying with one another, each of them finally and officially declaring war against America. By that point, enough Americans were on board that they began siding with the foreign countries, agreeing to help sabotage America if it meant removing Lex and the Luthors from power. The entire world was now at war with America, including some Americans themselves.

In the years to come, the cries finally got loud enough that war and bloodshed became a reality. The war against America, against the Luthors, finally began, and when it did, Lex proved that he had drastically, and fatally, underestimated just how far the world would go to see him dead, or imprisoned. And this included his own "subjects", his American enemies. He willingly blew up half the world, and half of his own country, but he was still forced to flee in the end, taking his small family with him and trying to completely disappear.

But there was nowhere for the Luthors to go. Every place stood against them, every place had warrants out for their arrest. THey had no friends or asylums anywhere. They couldn't even risk trying to take to the skies, outer space itself becoming a warzone on the lookout for any Luthor escape attempts. They would not be leaving the planet any time soon.

At long, long last then, nearly a decade after Kara Zor-El's grisly and untimely demise, Lex and his family were finally caught and arrested, sentenced to a life in the worst prison imaginable. The people of the world came together one last time to design a prison specifically for the Luthors, building it such that it would emulate their worst fears and make the most realistic Hell Earth had ever seen. It was a Hell especially designed just for them, receiving input from people all around the world. It was the most nightmarish form of global unity imaginable, but given who that solidarity was going to be working against, there weren't too many tears shed over the project.

The Luthors were the only ones to ever set foot into that prison and they never left, spending the rest of their lives (which were intentionally drawn out to maximize their suffering) in agony that made the dissected aliens look like they had gotten an easy death. Guards from every country in the world came to watch and make sure no one ever escaped. They didn't. And the Luthors spent the rest of their lives in torment. It was not over quickly. Much to the sadistic joy of the rest of the world, whose vengeance had finally been fulfilled.

And all of the rest of their supporters, including the Nazi groups of Midvale and the Luthors' other accomplices were severely punished as well, locked in the lower levels of the Luthor prison, kept in their own little Hell cells, but kept firmly away from the Luthors, who were buried deep below the Earth to rot, forgotten, in early graves, and to suffer all the way into death.

But once the Luthors were all successfully put away, condemned to spend the rest of their natural-born lives in a nearly-literal Hell, the rest of the world finally had a chance to recover and heal. A mass graveyard and monument were built to honor every last alien who had died in the war against Lex, whether they were murdered in an assault or on an operating table or in the actual war against the Luthors. Every last alien was named and honored, and Kara Zor-El's name was amongst the many, many, many tombstones.

"You would've loved it, Kara, well and truly you would have!" Alex whimpered as she collapsed onto her precious sister's grave, sobbing. Behind her were Eliza and Jeremiah, grieving just as hard. Though they had not found out about Kara's death (it intentionally being kept secret from them until it was too late to do anything), when they did find out what had become of their youngest family member, all of them had nearly been pushed over the brink of insanity. "Grief" was not anywhere near strong enough of a word to describe the turmoil the family went through after realizing what had become of poor little Kara. Even "anguish" was too soft of a word. And now, nearly a decade later, their hearts still burned in torment, their pain almost rivaling the Luthors' as they continued to weep for their fallen child.

Though none of them would ever forgive themselves for not realizing what had become of Kara until it was too late, they continued to strive towards a better future, trying to create a world Kara would've been happy to live in. Her name, and Kal's, were names that the Danvers never forgot, and were honored to work for.

"In the name of humans and aliens alike, in the name of the Danvers and Zor-Els, we stand here today to offer up all of our hard work and hope that you can be proud of it and forgive us for failing you," Jeremiah whispered to Kara's grave. It was the closest thing to a prayer that he had ever uttered, and as he knelt beside the rest of his family at Kara's tombstone, he could only hope and pray that she had heard him and could finally rest in peace.

Miles away, back in the ruins of Midvale (the entire town having been destroyed during several battles against Lex and his goons), a soft breeze blew gently across the lake where Kara had first touched down. The surface of the water rippled once, then all fell still and silent once again.


	18. Good Ending

**Good Ending: **

"No, no, nonononononono!" Kara whimpered, groveling for her life, but her soft pleas got her nowhere. But even though she was incapable of changing Lex's mind, there were outside forces already at work that were able to do it for her…

When Kara never returned home from school that day, Alex was instantly on the alert that something was really wrong. She trusted her instincts and wasted no time in going to all of her friends and allies for help.

"I think Kara has been kidnapped!" she muttered quickly to the small circle of friends that she still trusted.

"Are you sure?" one of them asked in disbelief.

"She might've just gone somewhere else before going home," another agreed.

"I know it sounds crazy, but I've got a bad feeling in my gut," Alex replied, trying to be as patient as possible.

The others still gave her incredulous looks, but in the end, Alex managed to convince them that, well and truly, something really was wrong. (It was during that time that Alex realized that Lena was, disturbingly enough, suddenly gone as well. Alex's heart sank even further as she realized that her gut feeling about Lena had been right all along too. What else could explain why she'd gone missing the same day Kara did?)

"That lying snake! I knew she was an enemy!" Alex hissed angrily, and in that moment, she vowed that she would kill Lena if the chance ever presented itself.

The small group wasted no time in calling other, trusted, professionals for help, and when Alex finally told her parents, it was Jeremiah who came to the rescue.

"I used to work for an anti-alien agency when I was younger," Jeremiah confessed ruefully. "I have forsaken those ways now, but I still have some old tech and knowledge that may help us find Kara…" and sure enough, Jeremiah delivered. Using some of his old anti-alien equipment, plus his general knowledge about what happened to aliens who mysteriously went "missing", it didn't take him too long to track down Kara and stop her dissection a mere millisecond before Lex could make the first incision.

The Danvers and all of their Pro-Alien allies managed to storm Lex's classroom a mere second before Kara would've started her dissection process.

"Stand down, Luthor!" Jeremiah thundered, bearing a tracker and a futuristic machine gun. While the classroom went into a panic at being discovered, Lex himself tried to remain stalwart.

"Never!" he cried. "I will finish this dissection if it's the last thing I do!" then he raised his scalpel high. One bullet was all it took to bring him to his knees, but Jeremiah had intentionally shot him in a nonfatal area, wanting him to suffer before he died.

The other Pro-Alien soldiers captured as many fleeing students as possible while the Danvers went after the Luthors. While Jeremiah raced over to Lex and Kara, Alex went sprinting after Lena, still intent upon killing the president's younger sister just like she had promised.

"Lena! You filthy little traitor! Get back here!" she thundered, finally tackling the smaller girl to the floor and beating her up as hard and fast as possible, more than ready and willing to kill the Luthor with her bare hands. Eliza, meanwhile, went after Otis and Eve. Though they were formidable foes, Otis was stupid, and relatively easy to trick. Eliza managed to get him tangled up in his own camera equipment.

And as for Eve? Well, Eliza and Jeremiah double-teamed her, holding Lex at gunpoint and threatening to kill him if she didn't surrender herself. She actually ultimately refused to give her life up for Lex, but she did hesitate, and she hesitated just long enough for Eliza to knock her out with a very fearsome sucker punch.

In the days to follow, Lex and all of his associates were sentenced to rot in prison for as long as they were alive, and their lifespans were intentionally kept long so that they could suffer a maximum penalty. And they weren't just housed in a normal prison either, but instead, they were placed in a facility that had been especially designed for them. Not only was it Luthor-proof, but it was intentionally designed to bring their worst fears to life and force them to live out those fears every day for the rest of their (very long) lives. It was a personal Hell, and it was the most complete and perfect one the world had ever seen, and the Luthors got to experience it firsthand for many, many years.

But while the Luthors and all their allies rotted away in jail, the rest of the world recovered. Olivia Marsdin and Cat Grant took over the US and repaired it, undoing every anti-alien law they could. Other countries sent in diplomats to work out new treaties, deals and agreements with the country, and all around, other things were rebuilt and healed as well. It took many years, but soon, America was returned to some of its former glory, and a third World War was no longer imminent. The world was safe again, and it was finally ready to turn over a new leaf. Aliens were finally free to come out of hiding once more.

The Danvers, however, never got the chance to see the day when America could finally consider itself at peace and fully restored. They never got to see their quiet little town of Midvale go back to normal either, all the schools finally rebuilt and refurbished and redeemed. And why? Because they were no longer on Earth. After helping catch and arrest Lex and all of his evil allies, the Danvers were recognized as global heroes and granted pretty much anything that they wanted. In this case, it was a chance to move to the city of Argo, which, as Kara had heard from another alien at one point, was essentially the last surviving piece of Krypton ever.

According to that alien, any survivors of Krypton relocated there and built a mock Kryptonian city in memoriam. If there was ever a way for Kara to return to her old life, that was as close as she was going to get. Naturally, she wasted no time in begging her family to let her go there.

"I've wanted nothing more than to go back home, will you allow me to do that now?" she pleaded with them a couple years after Lex had finally been put away.

"Only if you will allow us to come along," the others replied affectionately, and in that one sentence, all of Kara's hopes and dreams had come true. To get the chance to go home again was one thing, but to realize that her loving Earthly family wanted to come with her was a blessing she hadn't even dared hope for, let alone ask for, yet here it was now, coming true anyway! She had never said yes so fast or so many times in her entire life.

But the best was still yet to come. After making a very easy transition from Earth to Argo City, in the next couple of years to follow, Kara received another blessing whose chance of coming true should've been next to impossible, yet once again, fate decided to be kind to the young Kryptonian and grant her this latest impossible dream come true.

"KAL!" and sure enough, it was. Turns out, although his pod had been knocked off course, he had not died. Instead, it had traveled all around the galaxy in a very confusing and hazy path. By some miracle, he finally managed to crash into Argo City, not too far away from where Kara and the Danvers were living at the time. His pod landed in an emptier plain a few miles away from the new Danvers abode and, by this time, Kal was old enough to walk on his own. He slowly exited his pod before taking his first steps on solid ground after who knew how long?

After a while, then, he ran into Kara. Even though it had been years since last they met, he still recognized her, having watched little videos of her every single day in order to keep himself sane. They were videos that had been programmed into his pod, meant to entertain and pacify him on his journey over to Earth. In the past few years, they became the one and only thing linking him to an even mildly normal life. He had every last video of her memorized perfectly. That was why, when the two finally had their blessed reunion, he had been able to call her name just as passionately as she had called his.

"KARA!" and Kara had never ever heard as sweet a sound as her little cousin, saying her name for the first time ever. It was the first time she had ever truly loved her name, and she knew her life would be good if she were blessed to have Kal around long enough to say it a billion times more.

And so, against all odds, Kara had survived. She survived the destruction of Krypton. The political battlefield of Earth. Her own near-dissection at the hands of psychopath Lex Luthor himself. And she was now standing on Kryptonian soil once again. But she was no longer alone. Instead, Kal was with her once more, reunited through space and time against all odds. And the Danvers family had come with her too.

Upon that night, Kara's family and heart were both made whole again. And the entire newly-formed family (created through blood, sweat, tears, fire, trial and terror) knew that none of their lives would ever be the same again. In that one simple moment, the entire universe had changed forever. In that one quiet, peaceful, normal summer night, quite literally, a star was born, and now, she had found her place, her foundation, her home, her upbringing, her future, her life with the Danvers family.

"It really is beautiful, isn't it?" Jeremiah Danvers asked dreamily as he, his wife, and his young son and two daughters all gazed up into the starry night sky in Argo City on that warm night of July 15, 2014.

"Yes," Kara was the one to answer. "It most certainly is," and none of them could've agreed more.


	19. Forgiven Ending aka You Can Never Trust

Alex headed to the cafeteria with a sigh of relief. She felt so glad to be out of that boring class! Looking forward to getting to just chat and hang out with her friends and younger sister, she picked up her pace as she approached the lunchroom. Right at the doors, however, a hand shot out to grab her arm, stopping her immediately. It was Lena Luthor.

"I have something for you," she said, handing the Danvers a signed and sealed envelope. Alex took a moment to study it, confused, but the moment she looked back up to ask what it was for, Lena was already gone, vanished in a crowd of other students eagerly trying to get into the lunchroom. Even if everyone hated the cafeteria and its food, they did enjoy getting to goof off and see their friends again. Alex was quickly swept into the cafeteria by the sea of students surrounding her and she didn't get the chance to try and figure out where Lena had gone off to.

10 minutes later, some of the food in Alex's mouth came flying back out. A few of the nearby students gave her disgusted looks, but she was already halfway out of the cafeteria, Lena's letter clutched in her hand like she was trying to strangle it. It was a short thing, an explanation, an address, a plan and a list, but it had chilled Alex to the very deepest parts of her soul.

"Lex Luthor has kidnapped Kara Danvers for dissection. He knows she's Kryptonian..."

In less than 10 seconds, Alex was in the principal's office, pretending to be seconds away from puking. He quickly called her parents and they came over at fast as they could. Alex kept up the charade of being ill until she was safely in their car and off the school's property. Then she wasted no time in reading the letter to Jeremiah and Eliza. After nearly getting into a crash because of that letter, it literally and figuratively sending Eliza and Jeremiah both into temporary shock, they were suddenly shooting across the quiet town's roads at near fatal speeds. In a legendary four minutes, the family arrived back home. Jeremiah had been locked in conversation on the phone the whole ride home and by the time he reached his house, already there were several of his friends standing in the driveway.

"I'll explain later. Run!" he told his family as he vaulted out of the car and towards his friends. Suddenly, Alex and Eliza found themselves flying back down a different road in a new car. This one stopped outside of a normal-looking suburban household.

"Wait until you see the basement!" Jeremiah muttered, then the entire crew went flying into the house and down the stairs. It was enough to cause Eliza and Alex's eyes and mouths to widen when they got a good peek inside. It was a massive place, like an underground lab, and it was filled to the brim with all kinds of weaponry and foreign, futuristic tech.

"I used to work for Cadmus," Jeremiah confessed then. "And so did these guys."

"But we all left once the policies of the place became too violent and inhumane," one of Jeremiah's friends admitted.

"We never looked back, but we did retain some of our old tech and knowledge," another said.

"And that's what we are definitely going to need today..." and then it all became clear: they were going to follow the address on Lena's letter and head straight over to the head honcho himself: Lex Luthor.

One of the futuristic devices in Jeremiah's friend's lab was essentially a jet.

"It'll get us where we need to go faster than anything else... except maybe a teleporter," Jeremiah said ruefully as everyone crammed inside, armed to the teeth with an array of weapons and technologies. And sure enough, in barely over an hour, the little squadron of ex-Cadmus workers reached their destination: a fancy university somewhere between the Midwest and the deep south. Already, several other groups had arrived.

"More friends," Jeremiah smiled darkly as he and everyone else turned to face the university doors…

The Danvers and their Pro-Alien allies managed to storm Lex's classroom a second before Kara would've been dissected.

"Stand down, Luthor!" Jeremiah thundered as he waved his futuristic gun threateningly. While the classroom went into a panic at being discovered, Lex himself tried to remain stalwart.

"Never!" he cried. "I will finish this dissection if it's the last thing I do!" then he raised his scalpel high. One bullet was all it took to bring him to his knees, but Jeremiah had intentionally shot him in a nonfatal area, wanting him to suffer before he died.

The other Pro-Alien soldiers captured as many fleeing students as possible while the Danvers went after the Luthors.

While Jeremiah raced over to Lex and while Eliza went after Eve and Otis, Alex ran after Lena. She was on guard and ready to fight, but with the contents of Lena's letter still spinning around her head, she refused to strike the first blow against the youngest Luthor. Lena seemed to sense as such and she pretended to flee from Alex, but she moved slowly enough that Alex could keep up. Lena led her into a back room attached to the classroom, where the tools and camera equipment had been stored. Alex shut the door behind them both before Lena finally started to talk.

"You can never trust a Luthor. That's what our family always said," Lena couldn't help but grin darkly as she prepared to confess to Alex. "Too bad Lex never took his own advice..."

A few minutes later, Alex and Lena were back out into the main part of the classroom again. The battle was winding down, most of the students either dead or captured. And Lex himself was still badly wounded, Jeremiah having shot out his second kneecap to really keep him immobile, but despite the endless agony Lex was in, he continued to rant and rage bravely. If was going to die, he was going to go out with a bang! His knees could betray him all they wished, totally shattered, but his mind would not, and he would fight and scream until his very last breath.

Eve and Otis, however, were much quieter.

"How did you even find out about us?" Eve whispered in outrage, though she looked shaken to see Lex so bloody and violent, thrashing like a maniac even though both of his knees were literally shot.

"A little birdie told us," Alex was the one to answer, coming back around to stand before Lex and his allies, facing them directly. As she said this, she gestured to Lena Luthor with a wry smile.

"What?" Otis sounded dumbfounded, Eve sounded hurt, confused and disbelieving and Lex sounded smothered with fury.

"You can never trust a Luthor," Lena shrugged calmly. "I thought you knew that, Lex..."

"What? WHAT?! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" Lex thundered, efforts to escape redoubled as Lena stood over him with a cold sense of triumph in her eyes. She sneered down at him, arms crossed in righteous anger.

"I love you, brother, really I do, but this madness has to end..." and then she explained.

Although, in the beginning, Lena had genuinely been proud to be a Luthor, when Lex started going off the rails, hatching mad conspiracies about how aliens were going to come in from outer space to destroy or enslave all of humanity, Lena's faith in the family slowly began to fade. Her love for Lex did not, but her love for what he did and who he was becoming did. She tried to stay faithful to him as long as possible, but by the time he become president and began introducing laws demanding the legalized murder of thousands of aliens, Lena could no longer support him. She still did genuinely love him, having quite a few fond memories of him even unto the present day, but she could not stand idly by and watch him kidnap and torture countless innocent aliens. Back when his crusade had just been about self-defense in the face of a potential hostile takeover from aliens, Lena had been on board with him, but then when it became a matter of power, pride, prejudice and control, Lena slowly began to slip away from Lex, further and further.

"I knew I shouldn't have let you be my spy! I knew you were too weak to remain faithful to our cause!" Lex snarled.

"It had nothing to do with that, Lex," Lena replied coldly. "I began to change far before you ever sent me out to be your little mole."

"But why now?!" Lex thundered, struggling valiantly against Jeremiah's choke hold. It didn't work.

"Because you hurt somebody I love," Lena's hard gaze softened as she looked away from him and back to the shell-shocked Kryptonian still sitting on the operating table. She was free now, binds cut away, but she still looked paralyzed. Lena eyed her sadly.

"The Kryptonian girl?" Lex sounded scandalized and disgusted. "You loved her?! You filthy, cheating, dirty little-"

"No, I love her, present tense," Lena corrected, speaking calmly over Lex's insults. "She was so genuinely kind to me, so open and honest and trusting. How could I not fall in love with that? When she looked at me with those wide and innocent eyes, looking up to me for friendship and guidance, I knew I had to protect her. How could I possibly betray her over to you when she believed me to be capable of so much more? Of so much better?" Lena paused to give Lex a dry smile. "She may only be half the human you are, but she is twice the person."

Lena turned back to give Kara another rueful smile.

"That whole spiel of mine about turning you in to Lex? All lies," she said. "You can never trust a Luthor. Though now of course, I'm sure you still don't trust me, because I have impressed that lesson upon you far too well. But I do solemnly swear on my life that even if I have never been honest a single second in my life before today, I am being honest now. You have no rhyme or reason to believe, but it is true. What I say now is the truth."

Then she turned back to Lex, eyes hardening.

"I can abide by your ways no longer. You will spend the rest of your days rotting away for your crimes against humanity," she told him. But in what was meant to be a final word against Lex, meant to intimidate or anger him to the point of insanity only brought him back down to an eerie and terrifying calm. Understanding washed over him and he couldn't deny that as outraged as he was with Lena and her betrayal, he was also genuinely impressed. This whole thing had been orchestrated like a Luthor's evil scheme and even though he was on the wrong side of it (for once) he was genuinely pleased and proud with Lena, in a very sadistic and creepy way.

"You did it," he muttered. "You actually did it! You killed me! And you have proven that I have underestimated you..." he began to laugh twistedly, the sound low and bone-chilling. "You sent a letter to the other Danvers girl, did you not? You told her exactly what was going to happen, and when and where and how. You knew she would be able to find someone who could help. You planned out this entire thing perfectly, didn't you, sis?" and he gave her a grin full of teeth.

"I did," she nodded emotionlessly back at him. "I recognized Jeremiah as one of your old friends and coworkers. It was part of the reason I befriended the Danvers at all. I knew he could help me out later in my crusade against you," she paused to smirk while Jeremiah looked genuinely surprised at the intelligence and cunning the littlest Luthor was displaying. She certainly lived up to the family name! And it terrified him all the more because she was only 13 years old!

"I did," she repeated in that same expressionless tone. Then Lex began to laugh hysterically, shrieking and whooping and howling with amusement. While Eve, Eliza, Kara, Alex, Otis and even Jeremiah, to some extent, looked genuinely terrified that Lex had finally lost the very last of his sanity, Lena could only watch him with that same empty but focused glare. If he was feeling too much, she was feeling nothing at all. It was like fire against ice. Lex was the fire, flames roaring and mad as they convulsed and blazed. Lena was the cold, motionless ice, silent and still and unmoved.

Lex was finally taken away after that, arrested and dragged off to be held in captivity until a trial could decide upon a fitting punishment for a maniac of a monster such as himself. Eve and Otis were forced to go along with him, Even freaking out but still following closely behind Lex, Lena's betrayal still ringing in her ears. She literally could not process it and had gone into something like a lockdown mode, still trying to wrap her head around how Lex's sweet little sister could've outsmarted them so well, and for so long, and with such little remorse.

"I just don't get it!" she moaned in despair. Beside her, Otis said nothing, but for once, he was secretly glad that someone else knew how he felt.

Lena was the only one of Lex's brood to be left behind, remaining in that classroom until everyone except the Danvers were gone. With only the five of them remaining, Lena's icy mask fell away to reveal a face of true humility, regret and acceptance.

"I genuinely meant every word I said back there," she said, even sinking to her knees to show her submission to the family. "I really have come to love Kara deeply, and I couldn't just sit idly by while Lex killed her. I am sorry for all the fear, confusion, surprise and distrust I may have caused for all of you, but if I wanted this plan to work, had to carry it on through right up until the very end," she looked at Kara while she said this, referring to the lies she'd spun earlier about turning Kara over to Lex. Although the events of the story were real (Lena discovering Kara's powers and filming them to use as proof, Lena telling her three Cadmus friends about Kara, Lena telling Lex and then Mr. Thorul to get her arrested) the manner with which she had done it had all been fake.

"I only pretended to be that chipper and gleeful about it, trust me," she said, but then she paused and laughed coldly as she said those last two words. "I suppose I really don't have a right to ask you to do that," she muttered, but then she continued on. "I did turn you in, Kara, that much is true, but everything else was a lie. I didn't do it because I wanted to, I did it because I had to. And I had been planning on keeping you safe since the moment I first realized what you were. Why do you think I waited so long to tell on you? I took the video of you all the way back in July, but it was only in the late fall that I finally told Lex. It was because all those gap months in between were my time to plan on how to save you after I turned you in. And like I told Lex, I had help..." then she turned her eyes back to the other three Danvers, Alex and Jeremiah especially.

"A letter," Alex finally spoke up, turning to Kara. "On the day you were kidnapped, she gave me a letter explaining everything. She gave me instructions on how to save you, and although I didn't exactly trust them, I knew I really didn't have any other choice than to pray that Lena was on our side and go for it. I know it was a risky move, but it was our only option to save you..." then she pulled something out of the pocket of her armor, Lena's letter. The thing she'd risked so much to write and send. The thing that had saved Kara's life today.

Kara read it with guarded eyes, still traumatized by her near-dissection-experience. She hadn't spoken at all since she started screaming and she barely even moved a muscle, but now that things were calm again and the Kryptonite was slowly starting to filter itself naturally out of her body, she found herself at least capable of reading, though after she finished with the letter she scowled at Lena. It was clear that she was not going to forgive Lena as easily as the rest of her family. But could anyone blame her? As far as she knew, Lena could still be lying even now, trying one last time to win her heart back only so that she could break it again. But for once, Alex looked to be on Lena's side, totally trusting of the littlest Luthor even though her betrayal of Lex proved how quickly she could change and how long she could wait in order to unleash her master plans.

"I understand that you will not forgive me, and I accept it," Lena promised, still on her knees, head bowed. "And whatever you have planned for me next, I will do without protest or complain. Whether you should choose to have me executed or imprisoned, and no matter in what way, I shall go. I will do exactly what you ask of me, and I won't try to get out of any of it," she promised humbly. It was the ultimate sign of submission, and no one missed the way she had looked at the operating table as she suggested execution. Lena was honestly willing to allow herself to be dissected if the Danvers thought it was what she deserved. Or she would gladly follow Lex into whatever Hell would await him, if Kara so commanded her to.

Lena did feel a deep responsibility for the atrocities that had plagued the world for the past year or so, so she felt as though she deserved whatever punishment would befall Lex. He hadn't worked alone in his anti-alien politics. Lena had been his right hand. If Lex deserved to burn, so did she.

But the Danvers seemed to disagree. Jeremiah was the first to forgive her, understanding exactly what it felt like to change sides in a fight. He'd gone through something very similar after all. Just like Lena had said, he used to be a Cadmus agent with Lex. When he had a change of heart, then, he'd been forced to leave all that behind, Lex included, and it hadn't been easy. Alex was next to forgive Lena. She still didn't trust the Luthor very much, but Lena had proven herself today and that was enough for Alex to vouch for her, at least for the next 24 hours. But if Lena ever did anything to hint at disloyalty, Alex would be the first to call it out. Eliza came next, though it was clear she was still very wary of the littlest Luthor. She had just outsmarted Lex. Was that not a fine testament to how dangerous and cunning she was? Just because she had a good heart didn't mean she didn't also have a deadly mind. Eliza hoped that everyone else would remember that. Lena was still a burning flame, whether she chose to be an inferno or a gentle flickering hearth. One could never let their guard down around an open flame…

Kara was the very last to forgive Lena, refusing to accept her apology not just for a day or a week or a year, but for several years on end. Despite this fact, however, Kara was still always very quick to defend Lena against unnecessary attacks.

"I choose to pardon her," the young Kryptonian said when Lena was about to face her own sentence, right alongside Lex, Eve, Otis and their surviving gang. This statement had created a sensation, but through it all, Kara remained resolute in her choice.

"She saved my life, now I am saving hers," the young alien insisted, and nothing would change her mind or shake her faith in Lena. For that, Kara managed to convince everyone that Lena deserved mercy. The others were not so lucky.

Lena did manage to give lesser sentences to Eve and Otis, but she had only done that out of a lingering fondness for them.

"I do not wish for their crimes to go unpunished and unpaid for, but Eve and Otis were not nearly as diabolical as Lex," she said. "Otis is far too dimwitted and meat-headed and Eve, though far smarter and crueler, was genuinely good and kind to me in all the days that I knew her. She, unlike Lex, had a soft side and a good streak. She, unlike Lex, has hope..." and Lena left it at that.

Eve and Otis both shooting her confused looks from across the courtroom. Were they grateful that she was trying to plea on their behalf, or angry that she was still sending them to jail while she got off totally free? They were both still reeling from her betrayal to be quite honest. So when they were dragged away to prison, while Lex went kicking and screaming into a jail specifically designed for him, Eve and Otis went to their normal max-security prisons subdued.

"I really am fond of you," Lena told Eve right before they parted. "You were good to me, and kind and genuinely caring. I will never forget that..." then she reached out to touch Eve's arm one last time before Eve was taken away. Eve managed a small smile and a slight nod before she was shoved into a police car. It was then that she found herself chuckling in amusement. Luthors were very interesting and confusing humans, and their ways and ideas of expressing loyalty and gratitude were very unusual, to say the least, but Eve had detected sincerity in Lena's words and it was enough to make her feel at least a little bit better about herself. Even though Lena had turned on Eve too, Lena's fondness for Eve was real, and Eve could tell, and it was just enough to make her smile.

"Goodbye, Lena," Eve murmured as her escort vehicle toted her away. She would never see Lena again, but every year on her birthday, she would get a gift, card and cake from the last surviving Luthor, as a symbol of her peace and goodwill towards Eve. Eve never let a single gift go unappreciated.

But even though Lena's ending note with Eve had been peaceful and positive, the two of them reaffirming their goodwill towards one another before parting, even though the circumstances were a little awkward and less than stellar, Lena was not done yet. She had to offer the same apology to Otis, and then to Lex, but neither of them took it quite as well. Otis was just mad that he was being sent to a crummy jail and Lex, though still willing to compliment Lena on her ingenious plan against him, refused to offer up anything more than those teasing remarks.

"You're just like me," he would say, and that would be when she left his Hellhole, refusing to let him get in her head, but he did try.

But even after that, Lena still had a friendship to repair with Kara, and that took years. Even though Kara was willing to forgive, she was not willing to forget, and it took Lena a lot of time and effort to prove that her newfound loyalties were real. She spent nearly every day at the Kryptonian's side, trying to use her devotion as evidence to a true change of heart.

"I'm fine if you never stop hating me," Lena promised. "But I just want you to know that I genuinely do care for you and that anything I had to say or do to you regarding Lex was nothing more than a play to trick him."

"Are you sure it wasn't meant to trick me?" Kara shot back frostily, but then she added something else: "Besides, I don't hate you. I'm just angry." And that had been the first peaceful and positive interaction between the two of them since before Lex kidnapped Kara.

Things only continued to get better from there, though it was still a slow process. At one point, then, by the time Kara was in her late teens, life threw a new curveball her way. Kara managed to find out about a place called Argo, which hosted the last surviving Kryptonians of the universe. To hear as such had been an unmatched joy for Kara. It filled her with so many emotions, the first and foremost being pain and nostalgia intertwined, and she had pleaded at once with her earthly family to be allowed to go to Argo City. They accepted, and even chose to accompany her. Each of them left their work in the hands of a successor before they too got ready to live among the stars. It wouldn't be an easy transition, but the Danvers were able to afford everything that they needed, having become known as the heroes of the world because they managed to bring Lex, literally, to his knees. Earth would sorely miss the heroic family, but nothing could convince them to stay, so they didn't.

"The planet is in good hands and well on its way to recovery," Kara reasoned as she and her family prepared to leave it for good. "Oliva Mardsin and Cat Grant will do wonders for this country, and the rest of the world, so I am not worried about how we are leaving things..." but there was still one loose end that the young Kryptonian needed to tie up before she felt truly ready to leave. That loose end was Lena Luthor.

"Lena!" the young Kryptonian found the young Luthor in one of her many science labs scattered across the country. She was busily working with a team of people (all of them at least a decade older and several I.Q. points lower) on new ways to improve the transportation of the country so that relief, aid and other tools could be sent out faster and more efficiently. Lex's reign of terror hadn't just harmed the alien population, it also harmed the human population. Since he spent all the country's resources on preventing this alleged alien invasion, the country's economy and infrastructure crumbled. Even with him safely locked away, America was still taking quite a while to reach its former glory, and at the moment, Lena was trying to invent something like a teleporter so that relief and recovery could be sent around the country faster than it was right now.

"Kara!" Lena nearly dropped the test tube she was holding in surprise as she whipped around to see the young Kryptonian entering her lab. At Lena's request, Kara was considered something of a VIP and was allowed to go anywhere that Lena held jurisdiction. This lab was no exception. All she'd needed to do was show up and state her name and she was instantly treated like royalty, led right into Lena's work area. But even though Lena had given Kara all these honors, Kara hadn't used them very often, still trying to decide whether or not she could trust the Luthor, but with her choice to move away to Argo City on the rise, she decided to exercise Lena's clout for her one time.

"Lena," Kara gave Lena a guarded, but genuinely polite and kind smile.

"What's up?" the young Luthor, sensing that Kara had something big to tell her, instantly excused herself from the lab.

"I just wanted to tell you that my family and I are moving tomorrow," Kara admitted, almost shyly.

"What?!" Lena hadn't meant to yelp, but the dismayed cry tore itself from her throat before she could stop it.

"Yeah," Kara couldn't stop a soft laugh in response to Lena's flabbergasted reaction. "We found out that a small piece of Krypton still remains in the heavens, a place called Argo City, and we're all going to move there..."

"When?" Lena continued to sound dismayed.

"In half a week," Kara admitted.

"Half a week?!" Lena gave another disappointed and unhappy cry, but she was able to silence herself then, right before she would've asked why Kara had not told her sooner. It wouldn't have been a very fair question for her to ask. Instead, she forced herself to look happy and composed instead of secretly devastated. She hadn't been lying when she said how fond she was of the young Kryptonian who had invited her into a friendship so graciously and easily.

"I'm happy for you," she offered a weak smile, and for the first time in quite a while, Kara gave her a genuine one in return.

"You don't have to hide from me, Lena Luthor," she whispered. "I know you will miss me..." then, for the first time in years, the two embraced. Kara finally took the Luthor into her arms again after so many years of avoiding her and it was enough to actually make Lena sob, once she got over the shock of feeling Kara embracing her again after years of silence. Then she wrapped her arms back around the Kryptonian as fast and hard as she could, sobbing into the girl's shoulder.

No more words were spoken, but they weren't needed. Kara could hear it in Lena's sobs how genuinely sad she was going to be once Kara was gone, and Lena could feel it in the way Kara ran a gentle hand up and down her back that, finally, at long, long last, the very last of their bad blood had been forgiven.

"But please!" Lena couldn't help but whimper into Kara's shoulder. "Please don't leave me..." but as much as Kara wanted to stay with Lena, her drive to see Argo City was even stronger, and she finally parted with Lena, but not before giving Lena one final farewell gift. It was a small silver necklace, its pendant shaped like a diamond, an "S" in the center of it.

"It's my Kryptonian family's crest," she said. "It means hope, and it means that we are stronger together. Do you think you can remember that for me?" a genuinely earnest light entered Kara's eyes again as she finally looked Lena in her own. Lena took the necklace reverently, still stifling sobs as she put it on immediately, wearing it with pride.

"I will be far prouder to wear this crest than I ever was to wear the Luthor crest," she promised through sniffles as she reached out to hug Kara once again. Kara did not deny her this, and they were suddenly locked in a passionate farewell embrace once again.

A few days later, the Danvers were gone from the face of the Earth, making a quiet exit in the early morning, not wishing for a fanfare of a sendoff. Instead, they hopped into their little shuttle and set a course for Argo City, rising up over that part of the world before the sun did. Only Lena watched them go, having pleaded to be allowed to watch them leave. She secretly wished that she could go with them, but an invitation had not been extended to her, and she still had so much left to do on Earth that she could not leave it yet, even if she wanted to. There were projects she was working on, experiments she needed to run and debts she needed to repay.

Contrary to what most people thought, Lena hadn't gotten off totally free after the Luthor trial. Even though she was not jailed or labeled a crook or terrorist or enemy of the state, she was still essentially guilted into becoming a government scientist for little to no pay. She lived off the charity of the people she worked with, and what little funds the Luthors had left, the rest of it going to the reparations for what Lex had done. So Lena might not have been in jail like the rest of her family, but she was not free. But even if the entire world had told her that she would be free to go, her own conscience refused to let her leave. Similar to Kara, although she wanted dearly for their separation to be avoided, she had something else that she wanted even more, and it was enough for her to decide that sacrificing their bond was worth it.

It was not an easy call for either of them, but both of them had more important things that they needed and wanted to do and neither of them could wait around for the other. It was why Lena had been able to say goodbye to Kara at all upon that early morning, because as agonizing as it was to watch the girl she loved leave the Earth forever, she knew she was just as "guilty", by choosing to stay back while Kara went on. They both were at different points in their lives and neither could afford to wait for the other, though the separation was like agony for both of them.

"Good luck, Kara, and goodbye," she whispered as the Danvers shuttle became little more than another star fading into the morning sky. Then while Kara moved forward, Lena went back, back home, and back to all the scores she still needed to settle. She clutched her little necklace the whole trip home, weeping softly to herself all along the way.

But a few years later, Lena finally got her chance to follow Kara away into the stars. She had been working in one of her many labs across the state, now in her early 20s. One of her radars suddenly went off, proclaiming that new alien life had touched down not too far away from where she was. Curious, she went out to explore, leaving the lab temporarily in the hands of one of her best and most loyal coworkers. What Lena found rocked her to her very core. It was a boy about a decade younger than she was. He popped out of a space pod that had crashed down into a nearby cornfield. The pod was damaged, but the strange little boy was unscathed. He looked up at Lena with wide, interested eyes, a silent question flickering within their depths. Then, in perfect English, he asked: "Do you know a Kryptonian by the name of Kara Zor-El?"

After that very first encounter, Lena had nearly gone hysterical from sobbing. She managed to reign in long enough to safely escort the young boy, Kal El, back to her lab to get him cleaned up and fed. But the second she sent him off to find a meal and a nicer place to rest than a tiny old pod, she broke down. To have a piece of Kara returned to her was a blessing beyond her wildest dreams, and from the very second he'd so innocently offered to shake her hand, the resemblance became infinitely more striking than ever.

She had been transported back a decade, when she'd been his age, and in his shoes, only back then, it had been another Kryptonian who so warmly and trustingly welcomed her in, offering her a handshake and a friendship. And even though Kara's Kryptonian heritage only became known to Lena a few months before their friendship was terminated, in the years to follow, Lena did manage to learn a little bit about the world Kara had come from. It had been during those few rare interactions where Kara willing and finally told Lena bits and pieces about her history that Lena first heard names like "Zor-El" and "Kal El". That was why, when Kal finally made his arrival onto the scene, Lena had recognized him from the moment he uttered that precious name: Kara Zor-El.

From that day forward, Lena helped Kal adapt to life on Earth, explaining to him that Kara Zor-El used to be on Earth, but had since returned to a place called Argo City, where other Kryptonian refugees managed to band together to create a replica of the world they lost. At first, Kal had been beyond dismayed and disheartened to find out that he was alone in this new world, but that was when Lena finally made him the promise that she had been unable to make to Kara five years prior:

"I'll will go with you to Argo City," and it was a promise she kept.

Although there was still much more work left for her to do on Earth, she finally felt ready to leave it all behind. Each lab went to a trusted friend and ally of hers, and she divide up the power evenly amongst them all in the hopes that none of them would ever get power-hungry or too controlling. Once she divided up her estate, then, she sent one last farewell to Eve, Otis, Lex and all of the rest of their old circle before she, in the shuttle she had personally designed and built, flew Kal up to the heavens.

Along the way, Lena managed to figure out what had happened to Kal's pod during its course for Earth. As Kara herself had rightly guessed, a piece of debris from her exploding planet struck his pod and sent it veering off course. But it wasn't just lost into the eternal depths of space. Instead, it managed to float through a variety of cosmic wonders, including several wormholes and a place where time stood still and inverted. In Kal's mind, his trip over had only taken a few months, but his body and the rest of the world said otherwise, it had taken him a decade.

"Really?" his eyes went comically wide as he and Lena continued to fly to Argos. Since he had grown up with only videos of Kara to help him pass the time, he hadn't realized that it was NOT normal for Kryptonians to age up from infants to young boys within the span of a few months. He had been stunned to hear that the normal growing up process should've taken far longer.

"Really," Lena replied, unable to stop a laugh at the boy's childish innocence. It really did remind her so much of Kara!

Kara... That mysterious girl whom Lena loved so deeply, yet had not seen in five years. Would she even still be around by the time Lena arrived to Argos? Or would she have taken to the stars again and fled somewhere else? And even if she was still there, would Lena be able to recognize her? Or would time have changed her so much that the two would be like strangers again.

Although such a happening would offer up a chance for a fresh start between the two, Lena couldn't help but feel anxious, genuinely worried that Kara either wouldn't remember and recognize her, or that she would be so much more different now that she would immediately reject Lena and grow angry that Lena had followed her to Argos. It was a fear of hers that in their time apart, Kara would've chosen to take back the forgiveness she gave Lena during her last days on Earth.

Well, Lena would find out if that chilling theory was true eventually, wouldn't she? According to her ship's log, they only had a few more days until they arrived at the fabled city of Argos, Kara's new home...

Lena was pleasantly surprised on all accounts. Kara and her entire family were still on Argos. They were all still very happy. They hadn't changed too much, beyond a few marks of aging. And Kara had NOT regretted her forgiveness for Lena. On the contrary, the moment she saw the Luthor touch down on the replica of Krypton, she had squealed with delight like a girl 10 years younger. She sprinted over to Lena without hesitation, not stopping even for a single second before she threw her arms around the Luthor and literally picked her up and sprung her around in a joyous death-grip of a hug. All the while, she babbled and sobbed. Clearly, any bad blood between the two had been totally washed away during their five years apart. Lena's worst fears were assuaged and all that remained was a childishly delighted Kara once again, just like old times...

And Lena would come to learn that it was because although Kara did not regret leaving Earth for Argo City, she had missed Lena sorely. She had missed Lena just as much as Lena missed her. And she had actually been planning to head back to Earth eventually, but the trip was so extreme and expensive that even in the best scenarios, it still would've been years before the two were properly reunited. Lena's choice to finally leave Earth as well made that reunion much faster than Kara had originally foreseen it, and she was beyond happy, ecstatic to see her old friend-enemy-friend again. So Lena's arrival was a pleasant surprise, to put it mildly, and Kara nearly went mad with glee, infinitely relieved to be reunited with the girl she had missed so terribly over the past years.

"I didn't realize how much I would miss you!" the Kryptonian admitted as she embraced her human companion.

"And I you!" Lena agreed with a laugh, suddenly feeling like a schoolgirl again, but a quick shadow of seriousness passed over her face and she aged back up once again. "I am not the only one who has been dying to see you for many years, however," she said. "There is one other who has waited far longer, and has missed you just as much..." and that was when Kal stepped onto the scene.

"Kara?"

"Kal El!" If the reunion between Lena and Kara had been teary, the reunion between Kal and Kara threatened a flood.

In the years to come, Lena took up full residency in Argo City and became a legal citizen thereof, moving in with Kara (and the Danvers and Kal. It was becoming quite the large family). She and Kara did finally get their chance to make full amends and properly bury the hatchet before getting their desired fresh start and Kara seemed to have finally, completely, forgiven Lena for what she had done all those years ago.

"Rao, I've missed you!" the Kryptonian murmured as she pulled Lena in for a kiss, their schoolgirl crush finally having moved forward just as drastically as their relationship had. Even though the two had been living together in Argo City for about a year now at this point, there were still moments when Kara would fear that it had all only been a dream. As such, she still told Lena all the time how infinitely glad she was to have the Luthor back by her side once again. Lena felt the exact-

"GROSS!" a playful voice sneered at the two women as they kissed.

"Kal!? Get out of here!" Kara shrieked, yanking away from a laughing Lena as she glared daggers at her young cousin. Although Kara loved him deeply and didn't take him for granted any more than she took Lena for granted, his immature and childish side could still get under her skin sometimes. Now she knew how Alex sometimes felt about her! The karma and irony was not lost upon the older Kryptonian...

"He's not wrong, you know!" Alex laughed, suddenly appearing behind the boy to also stick her tongue out at the two lovers.

"Alex! Not you too!" Kara whined. Lena only continued to laugh. It felt so good to finally have a family like this! Heaven knew the Luthors were never this playful, open or affectionate! But this family? The Danvers, Els and Zor-Els? They were real family. They were golden. They were home! And now that they had finally completely welcomed Lena within their clan, she was too.

About 15 years after Lena met Kara, the two were finally, officially married, and now at last, Lena was able to brag that she was a part of the Danvers-El-Zor-El clan by name and by legality, and not just by heart, though she had pretty much been accepted as family from the very second she touched down on Argo City those few years ago, Kal in tow. As far as anyone was concerned, Lena was already a part of the family.

"This wedding is nothing more than a finalization and ceremony to celebrate that fact," Eliza insisted as she helped Lena prep for the wedding. Because Lena had no family to speak of, Eliza, Jeremiah, Kal and Alex were helping her out.

At the present, Kal and Alex were with Kara while Jeremiah was getting their chapel set up. This left Eliza to look after Lena for a while. The Luthor was too choked up to do more than nod, touched beyond words as her soon-to-be mother-in-law helped her with the finishing touches on her wedding dress (wedding dress! It was one of the only types of fancy dresses Lena thought for sure she'd never wear. Especially not with a female alien as the one she was wearing it for! But boy did life sure know how to change and take the most unexpected of routes)!

"Thank you so much," the Luthor finally managed to force out, already sounding seconds away from tears, but Eliza only patted her back gently and squeezed her hand. She was so much kinder, gentler, warmer and happier than Lillian had ever been... And she smiled, genuinely happy for both parties of the wedding, before she took her leave to visit the other bride. Alex and Kal would be in to join Lena soon. But as much as Lena loved them, the one she really wanted to see was still unable to come out and be with her. For now, at least...

But once the ceremony began, She finally made her appearance. Her. The one Lena really wanted. The one she'd wanted from the very first day they ever even met, even if she hadn't realized it at first. There She was, standing there, so beautiful in her silver and white dress, golden hair fixed to look like white gold to complete the rest of her ensemble. A long white veil, a silvery train, a faint "S" on the chest of the dress. Pale locks framing a bright face. Blue eyes to get lost in. Lena almost forgot how to breathe as she watched the Kryptonian walk down the aisle, and right to her side. Lena's own dress complimented Kara's perfectly, but as she walked Kara walk down the aisles on Jeremiah's arm, she felt woefully inadequate. She was hardly even aware of Alex and Kal, acting as bridesmaid and best man respectively. All she could see was Kara…

"In the name of truth and honor I declare the marriage vows binding upon you! From this day forward, throughout all time and space, even unto eternity!" the preacher said as wedding vows and headbands were exchanged, Kara and Lena each standing on a remodeled Jewel of Truth and Honor. After the vows and bands were exchanged, the final words of the ceremony were spoken:

"Made wife and wife this day–and for all days hence. May the countenance of Rao ever shine on you," and then a cheer swept over the small audience in attendance, but Kara and Lena heard no more as they cemented their final wedding vow with a kiss, just has final and finite as the bands they wore around their heads and wrists. Kara's silver necklace still dangled from Lena's neck, even after all this time. Now, though, that crest was hers as well. She was Luthor no longer. Lena still remained, but Luthor was gone. Now, she was Lena Zor-El, and it was a name she would bear with pride for all the rest of her life, refusing to let anyone forget it. Lena Zor-El!

Even though the immediate afterglow of the wedding wore off eventually, the hazy high of the event stayed with Lena long after the wedding finished. There finally came one warm night about a month or two after she and Kara had officially been married where she found herself just staring up at the stars in a quiet and humble awe and wonder. Everything and nothing circulated through her mind. She wondered how her family was doing. Her old family that is. She wondered how Lex was faring. How Eve and Otis were faring. And if the latter two had managed to earn their own redemption just as she had. She knew that there was good in Eve and Otis, it was just buried deep within, but Lena's own inner goodness had managed to make its way to the surface eventually, so who was to say that the same couldn't be said for Eve and Otis?

And how was the rest of the world doing? Olivia and Cat? How were they faring as the country's leaders? Though if the four-year run for a president still was in place, Olivia and Cat would be long gone from the Oval Office by now, though Lena knew within her heart of hearts that the two women would be diehard activists. But how about their friends and allies? And the aliens they were trying to bring back to the light? Had Midvale been reconstructed and rebuilt and redeemed? Or was it left as a burning pile of rubble after one particularly violent protest finally set it up in flames? Were Lena's old scientist coworkers still doing ok? Were the labs still functional? Had there been any new and exciting breakthroughs? Were her chosen and trusted heirs running her labs with honor and honesty?

There was so much to think about and wonder at this point in her life, but as Lena continued to stare up at the stars, it all became a hazy mush in the cosmic background of her mind. And then she felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around her from behind, and even the stars vanished from her view as she looked back down and turned around. Now, it was Kara who filled up her entire visual field, and she was a sight far grander than any star, even though she wore a casual robe and sandals.

"Hey. You doing ok?" the Kryptonian asked gently as she kissed Lena sweetly on the lips.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking," Lena replied after she finished kissing Kara.

"What about?" Kara rested her chin on Lena's head as they both went back to stargazing together.

"Just everything and nothing," the second Zor-El replied and even though the answer was vague, the first understood.

"You miss it, don't you?" she asked gently, not a single trace of judgment within the question.

"Sometimes," Lena admitted, sounding unhappy with herself, but she felt Kara squeeze her gently, a silent action of reassurance. She smiled. How had she been so lucky as to obtain such a wonderful, loving, understanding wife?

"But I don't regret what I did, of course," she continued, referring to the life and people she left behind.

"Good," Kara murmured, kissing her hair.

"I just hope you won't be too angry if I ever do think about... home... and what I left behind occasionally?" she asked, embarrassed.

"I could never stay mad at you, Lena," Kara promised. "Besides, I trust you. No matter what you say or do, I promise that I do trust you at heart, and I always will, even if it doesn't always seem like it," she said, referring to her own path of forgiveness for Lena after their initial fallout. Kara genuinely had not wanted to forgive Lena at first, but she had been incapable of staying mad at the woman forever, hence why she did ultimately choose to forgive Lena, and then to allow their friendship to regrow and ultimately bloom into the marriage that it was today.

"Well, that might be a mistake," Lena couldn't help but insert some dark humor into their talk, her mind running a similar path to her wife's. "You know you can never trust a Luthor."

"Ah, but you aren't a Luthor anymore, are you?" Kara reminded her with a grin. "You're a Zor-El now, and I would trust a Zor-El!"

Kara said a few more things, but by then, Lena had since zoned-out, Kara's previous remark about how she was no longer a Luthor, but a Zor-El, ringing in her head pleasantly. She was, wasn't she? No longer a Luthor, but a Zor-El? Ahhh, yes, Lena Zor-El... It was such a wonderful sounding name, and her eyes half shut with pleasure as she continued to hear Kara's voice whispering it over and over again in her mind...

The two went back to silent stargazing, but after a little while, Kara spoke up once again, voice soft with affection and love.

"It really is beautiful, isn't it?" Kara asked, but since she was standing behind Lena, chin resting upon the smaller woman's head, Lena had no idea what she was referring to. The stars? The gentle glow of the city lights as the world slowly went to bed? The majesty of their new island home itself? Herself and Lena as the happy newlyweds that they were? But though Lena could not know for sure, her answer was the same for all of it:

"Yes, it most certainly is," and they were in perfect agreement over this remark.


	20. Timeline for Each 3 Endings

Good Ending's Timeline: Chapter 1 to Chapter 14 (Until these Scene / "No, no, nonononononono!" Kara whimpered, groveling for her life, but her soft pleas got her nowhere. Instead, within seconds) Happy Ending aka Good Ending)

Downer Ending's Timeline: Chapter 1 to Chapter 14 (Until these Scene / "No, no, nonononononono!" Kara whimpered, groveling for her life, but her soft pleas got her nowhere. Instead, within seconds) Downer Ending)

Bittersweet Ending's Timeline: Chapter 1 to Chapter 13 (Until these Scene / "No, no, nonononononono!" Kara whimpered, groveling for her life, but her soft pleas got her nowhere. Instead, within seconds) Bittersweet Ending)


	21. Major Spoilers (Tropes used, Backstory)

Tropes and All Characters, One of Writer's

Tropes

The Reveal (20% Humans hated Aliens such as Kryptonian)

And I Must Scream (Kara is Screaming)

Strapped to an Operating Table (Kara's Arms and Legs are Tied Up)

Mad Doctor (Kara say "Mad Doctor" to Humans who about to Dissected Her Alive)

Brought Down to Normal (Red Sun radiation is used to remove Kara's powers so she can be Dissected on) "Downer Ending"

Downer Ending (Kara goto Dissected forever by Lex Luthor and Luthor Family)

Bittersweet Ending (Dead Kara, Kara's Family killed Themselves)

Happy Ending (Kara reunion with her Kal and Remaining Kryptonian)

DePower (Syringe with Gold Kryptonite Forceful onto Kara Zor El) "Bittersweet Ending"

DePower (Syringe with Non-Gold Kryptonite Forceful onto Kara Zor El) "Downer Ending"

Midvale-National City's Nazis Group also Supporters of Lex Luthor and Luthor Family (All of them has Alienphobia unlike Xenophobia of Different Cultures and Racism)

Josie Marchi's: Her and Her Family Backstory: Josie Marchi was born to Philip and Jessica Marchi during the early summer. She was the pride and joy of the family, coming shortly after her two older twin brothers Max and Roland. She had pale delicate skin and freckles kissed skin with dark auburn hair and bright blue eyes. A truly beautiful baby, Josie was spoiled and treated like a princess. Her father running a home security company and her mother being a stay at home mom they had the money to treat her well. From birth she was given whatever she wanted; toys, clothes, snacks and more. Nothing was too much for little Josie Marchi. Growing up Josie was always told to be careful about who she made friends with, her father was very security conscious and so he taught her the danger of strangers or strange people. However, this wasn't the normal strange people talk, instead of it being directed to people trying to get her to follow them with promises of candy or toys it was all about people who didn't look right. People with psychical deformities, missing limbs or eyes or anything of the sort. Her father taught her well that people who look weird or come from weird are not to be trusted as they always are jealous of people like them. And so, she obeyed her father's wishes, she kept away from strange people. Growing up her brothers were like normal boys; Roland was the sporty one of the pair being on the football team and earning his way up the rank. He has Josies Auburn hair and soft skin but their dads' dark green eyes which made him quiet the heart throb. Max was almost identical to his brother except he was a little less athletic. No Max liked science and technology but most of all was into the concept of alien life form. Josie was only 5 at the time when she watched her brother bring downstairs a comic book portraying aliens on the cover. She watched her father take the "filthy thing" and tossed it into the trashcan, only he tore it up first. Max shouted and yelled at his father only to be slapped across the face, she watched her adored big brother fall to the floor with her father standing above him. She was frozen with terror at seeing the man she viewed as her family's protector throw her brother to the floor with just one punch. Her father yelled something about how he wouldn't let his son read trash like that about being's that were worse than scum. He said that if aliens truly existed and wanted to visit earth then they were most likely planetary invaders who wanted to kill off humanity and use earth for its resources. Max was never really the same after that, Philip made him get rid off all his comics and sci-fi books, but it just made the boy sourer. And so Josie grew up knowing two things, people who were different were not to be trusted and aliens were worse, they were intergalactic monsters who simply could not be trusted.

Kenny Li Backstory: His Family along with Luthor become Friends before Lex and Kenny were Born, Both Family alway Fear of Alien destroyed Humans as show in Movies TVShow VideoGames Comics Novels, Luthor Family and Li Family move states apart but remain, Friends, Luthor never said Racist stuff to another human, unlike KKK.

Rick Malverne, Malverne Family alway Fear of Alien destroyed Humans as show in Movies TVShow VideoGames Comics Novels, Malverne Family never said Racist stuff to another human, unlike KKK.

Vicki Donahue, Donahue Family alway Fear of Alien destroyed Humans as show in Movies TVShow VideoGames Comics Novels, Donahue Family never said Racist stuff to another human, unlike KKK.

Josie, Josie's Family alway Fear of Alien destroyed Humans as show in Movies TVShow VideoGames Comics Novels, Josie's Family never said Racist stuff to another human, unlike KKK.

Barry Allen, Allen Family alway Fear of Alien destroyed Humans as show in Movies TVShow VideoGames Comics Novels, Allen never said Racist stuff to another human, unlike KKK.

Caitlin Snow, Snow Family alway Fear of Alien destroyed Humans as show in Movies TVShow VideoGames Comics Novels, Snow never said Racist stuff to another human, unlike KKK.

Ralph Dibny, Dibny Family alway Fear of Alien destroyed Humans as show in Movies TVShow VideoGames Comics Novels, Dibny never said Racist stuff to another human, unlike KKK.

Cecille Horton, Horton Family alway Fear of Alien destroyed Humans as show in Movies TVShow VideoGames Comics Novels, Horton never said Racist stuff to another human, unlike KKK.

Oliver Queen, Queen Family alway Fear of Alien destroyed Humans as show in Movies TVShow VideoGames Comics Novels, Queen never said Racist stuff to another human, unlike KKK, Queen Family had Nightmare of being Dissected by Alien as Reason for their Xenophobia and Racism of Aliens.

Felicity Smoak, Smoak Family alway Fear of Alien destroyed Humans as show in Movies TVShow VideoGames Comics Novels, Smoak never said Racist stuff to another human, unlike KKK, Smoak Family had a Nightmare of being Dissected by Alien as Reason for their Xenophobia and Racism of Aliens, Smoak Family are Xenophobia Family of Alien for almost 100 Years before Aliens start goto Earth.

Roy Harper, Harper Family alway Fear of Alien destroyed Humans as show in Movies TVShow VideoGames Comics Novels, Harper never said Racist stuff to another human, unlike KKK.

Alena Whitlock, Whitlock Family alway Fear of Alien destroyed Humans as show in Movies TVShow VideoGames Comics Novels, Whitlock never said Racist stuff to another human, unlike KKK.

Sara Lance, Lance Family alway Fear of Alien destroyed Humans as show in Movies TVShow VideoGames Comics Novels, Lance never said Racist stuff to another human, unlike KKK.

Ray Palmer, Palmer Family alway Fear of Alien destroyed Humans as show in Movies TVShow VideoGames Comics Novels, Palmer never said Racist stuff to another human, unlike KKK.

Thea Queen, Queen Family alway Fear of Alien destroyed Humans as show in Movies TVShow VideoGames Comics Novels, Queen never said Racist stuff to another human, unlike KKK, Queen Family had Nightmare of being Dissected by Alien as Reason for their Xenophobia and Racism of Aliens.

Lena Luthor, Lena was born and Become like Her Family Racist of Alien and Xenophobia due to Lionel was Reason for her Hateful of Aliens.

Lex Luthor, Lex was born and slowly Become like HisFamily Racist of Alien and Xenophobia due to his own Weekly Nightmares and to Lionel was Reason for her Hateful of Aliens.

Lionel Luthor, Luthor Family alway Fear of Alien destroyed Humans as show in Movies TVShow VideoGames Comics Novels, Luthor never said Racist stuff to another human, unlike KKK, Luthor Family had a Nightmare of being Dissected by Alien as Reason for their Xenophobia and Racism of Aliens, Luthor Family are Xenophobia Family of Alien for almost 100 Years before Aliens start goto Earth.

Lillian Luthor, Luthor Family alway Fear of Alien destroyed Humans as show in Movies TVShow VideoGames Comics Novels, Luthor never said Racist stuff to another human, unlike KKK, Luthor Family had a Nightmare of being Dissected by Alien as Reason for their Xenophobia and Racism of Aliens, Luthor Family are Xenophobia Family of Alien for almost 100 Years before Aliens start goto Earth.

Otis Graves, Graves Family alway Fear of Alien destroyed Humans as show in Movies TVShow VideoGames Comics Novels, Graves never said Racist stuff to another human, unlike KKK, Graves Family had a Nightmare of being Dissected by Alien as Reason for their Xenophobia and Racism of Aliens, Graves Family are Xenophobia Family of Alien for almost 100 Years before Aliens start goto Earth.

Eve Teschmacher, Teschmacher Family alway Fear of Alien destroyed Humans as show in Movies TVShow VideoGames Comics Novels, Teschmacher never said Racist stuff to another human, unlike KKK, Teschmacher Family had a Nightmare of being Dissected by Alien as Reason for their Xenophobia and Racism of Aliens, Teschmacher Family are Xenophobia Family of Alien for almost 100 Years before Aliens start goto Earth.

Eliza Danvers, Eliza was Pure of Heart with no Hatred unlike Her Husband Jeremiah during his time with as Agent for Cadmus Organization as their Preparation for Alien Invasion alike The War of the Worlds Movie (1953)

Jeremiah Danvers, Jeremiah Hatred of Aliens when Growing up due to his Parents unlike His Wife Eliza during his time with as Agent for Cadmus Organization as their Preparation for Alien Invasion alike The War of the Worlds Movie (1953), Later on Eliza told Jeremiah to stop being Hateful of Aliens due to Movies he, later on, did start becoming Loving by time Alex was Born.

Lyra Strayd, Lyra was 9 Year Old at the time, She was only one of Her Race Valerian was able to live through her Travel to Earth unlike rest died

Kara Zor El, Kara was was 13 Year Old at the Time, Unbeknownst to Kara, it was part of Alura's plan to lure Astra out of hiding and arrest her for her crimes.

Your Opinion Matters

My Opinion: If you Liked or Disliked This Fanfiction.

My Opinion: Canon Ending Downer.


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